The Pennsylvania Capitol on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)

Cursive writing lessons will be back in Pennsylvania classrooms after state lawmakers passed legislation requiring its reintroduction this month.

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the bill into law Wednesday. It adds printing, joined italics and cursive to the writing curriculum in the commonwealth’s school code and takes effect April 12.

Sponsored by Rep. Dane Watro (R-Schuylkill) and Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R-Clearfield), the bill passed in the House in June and received final approval Feb. 3 in the Senate.

Act 2 of 2026 requires cursive handwriting to be taught at Pennsylvania public and private schools. Pennsylvania will join 18 other states requiring cursive to be taught in school.

It is at least the second attempt to resurrect the flowing, formal style of penmanship, as lawmakers have decried the lack of cursive skills among younger adults. They note many older legal documents were handwritten in cursive and a signature in cursive is more secure than printing.

“By reintegrating cursive into the curriculum, we are not simply teaching handwriting, we are investing in our students’ cognitive development, strengthening their legal preparedness and preserving their connection to historical literacy,” said Langerholc.

Most states, including Pennsylvania, dropped their cursive writing requirements after switching to the Common Core standards, an initiative launched in 2010 to improve consistency in education requirements between the states.

Watro noted after House passage of his bill that historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, are written in cursive script. People who have the skills to read and write cursive are better able to access and comprehend historical sources, which Watro said is vital for an informed and engaged citizenry.

“At least 24 states have laws requiring cursive instruction because those states understand cursive provides students another way to learn, express themselves and be better prepared for their future academic, professional and personal lives,” said Watro.

In a House Education Committee meeting where the bill was approved for consideration by the full chamber, Chairman Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh) said that while he learned cursive during his Catholic school education, his own daughter lacked the skill.

“Watching her try to endorse her first paycheck was quite the interesting experience on a human level,” Schweyer said. “I just think that a part of education is actually teaching human skills, not knowledge for the sake of knowledge, but actually preparing people for real life. And this is perfectly reasonable and a smart way to go about it.”