In a landslide vote, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved the legislation that will require cursive handwriting to be taught in Pennsylvania Schools, once again, for the first time in 15 years.
The bill, known as House Bill 17, passed 195-8 and is now in the hands of the state Senate for the final vote.
In 2010, the state of Pennsylvania removed the required teaching of cursive when it implemented the Common Core Curriculum. It has been more than a decade since the children of Pennsylvania have been taught the form of handwriting which has been proven to stimulate areas of the brain that are linked to memory, language, and thinking.
The benefits of cursive writing go beyond that to fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and dexterity.
House Bill 17 was introduced by Rep. Dane Watro (R-116), who represents parts of Luzerne and Schuylkill counties, and was co-sponsored by eight other representatives. The overall group consisted of seven Republicans and two Democrats.
Rep. Watro believes that in a world that is becoming increasingly digital, it is ever more important to ensure that students can utilize pen and paper.
He reinforced the importance of cursive writing skills, noting that many of the nation's historical documents are written in cursive. Being able to read and comprehend those documents is essential to being an informed and active citizen.
Out of the 203 members Pennsylvania House of Representatives, only eight voted against the bill.
Rep. Heather Boyd (D-163), representing Delaware County, Rep. Joseph Hohenstein (D-177), representing the River Wards in the Fishtown/Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, Rep. Daniel Miller (D-42), of Allegheny County, Rep. Christopher M. Rabb (D-200), representing the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Rep. Nikkie Rivera (D-96), of Lancaster County, Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-30) of Allegheny County, Rep. Gregory S. Vitali (D-186), of the Haverford section of Delaware County, and Rep. Perry S. Warren Jr. (D-31) of Bucks County, were a part of the entirely democratic opposition.
Out of the eight representatives, three represent Philadelphia and parts of the surrounding areas.
Rep. Gregory S. Vitali, representative of a section of Delaware County, voted against House Bill 17. Vitali explained that he is not against the implementation of cursive writing in schools; he feels that it should not be up to the state to decide.
“My feeling is that local school districts are in a better position to make decisions about whether to include cursive writing in their curriculum,” Vitali explained.
