Florida students are about to dust off their loops and swirls. On Monday, April 20, 2026, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a wide-ranging education bill that brings back mandatory cursive instruction in public schools and expects kids to be proficient by the end of fifth grade. The cursive comeback is part of a larger education package that also orders portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for school walls and creates a statewide teacher-mentoring program. The law is set to take effect July 1.
As outlined by The Florida Senate, the enrolled SB 182 requires public schools to teach cursive in grades 3 through 5 and to have each student "demonstrate proficiency in cursive writing" by the end of fifth grade. Proficiency is defined as being able to write upper and lowercase letters, produce legible words and sentences with proper spacing and alignment, and read and use cursive in school assignments. The measure also encourages the State Board of Education to adopt standards and pursue assessment tied to the new requirement.
WLRN reported that DeSantis quietly signed the package late Monday without a formal news conference, after lawmakers bundled several education priorities into SB 182 near the end of the session. The bill sailed through the Legislature, passing the Senate unanimously and the House by a wide margin, before being enrolled and delivered to the governor in early April. Because the law takes effect July 1, districts will spend the summer scrambling to adjust curriculum and assessments.
What the law requires
Starting in third grade, students will get formal instruction in cursive letter formation, spacing and alignment, and will practice writing full words and sentences, with proficiency expected by the end of fifth grade, according to WUWF. The bill links cursive directly to literacy development, spelling out that students should be able to read cursive and apply it when composing essays and other assignments. State education officials are encouraged to adopt assessment standards that match the new law, so those neat loops may eventually show up on tests.
How schools will implement it
To help schools carry out the new rules, the law creates a School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program that allows retired or experienced teachers to mentor new or struggling classroom teachers. Mentors can receive a stipend of up to $3,000, according to bill details summarized on LegiScan. The same package also requires, if lawmakers provide the money, that portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln be displayed in a conspicuous spot at every public school. The Department of Education is responsible for selecting the official images and making them available to districts. Several pieces of the plan, including the portrait displays and funding for mentoring, depend on what legislators approve in the state budget.
Reaction and next steps
Supporters are pitching the move as a reset toward traditional literacy skills and a way to connect students with historical documents. Lawmakers, including bill co-sponsors, argued that cursive is part of cultural literacy, as reported by WLRN. Critics counter that the new requirement could pile on more testing and act as an unfunded mandate for districts that already run on tight budgets, a concern noted by CBS Miami. Local superintendents and teacher unions are now watching state budget talks closely to see whether lawmakers back up the new rules with actual dollars.
A local TV outlet has already walked viewers through the fine print of the classroom changes in video coverage of the signing. The clip is available via WTSP. The final law also directs the Department of Education to select and provide the presidential portraits and again nudges the State Board of Education to adopt standards and assessments that carry out the cursive-writing requirement, according to The Florida Senate.
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