STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VICTORIA A. FLYNN
District 13 (Monmouth)
Assemblyman ROBERT AUTH
District 39 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Requires instruction on cursive handwriting in public school curriculum.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning instruction on cursive handwriting in the public school curriculum and supplementing chapter 35 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. A school district shall incorporate instruction on cursive handwriting into the curriculum for students in grades kindergarten through five. The curriculum shall include activities and instructional materials that help students become proficient in reading cursive and writing in cursive legibly by the end of grade three.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a school district to incorporate instruction on cursive handwriting into the curriculum for students in elementary schools. The curriculum is to include activities and instructional materials that help students become proficient in reading cursive and writing in cursive legibly by the end of grade three.
Some research suggests that learning to read and write in cursive benefits the development of cognitive, motor, and literacy skills. Instruction in cursive handwriting has also been associated with improved academic outcomes for students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.