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Montana bill would encourage schools to reintroduce cursive instruction
Summary
Rep. Zach Wirth introduced HB445 to encourage teaching cursive in Montana elementary grades; proponents including the Office of Public Instruction said cursive supports fine motor skills, memory and historical‑literacy, while lawmakers pressed for clarity on grade levels and time tradeoffs with other standards.
Representative Zach Wirth opened a House Education Committee hearing on House Bill 445 by saying the measure is "to introduce cursive back into our school programs." The sponsor told the committee the bill is intended as an encouragement rather than a mandate and to give school boards incentive to keep teaching handwriting as part of a balanced curriculum.
The Office of Public Instruction superintendent, Susie Hedlund, told lawmakers "cursive handwriting is not…
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