Overview
- Gov. Phil Murphy signed the measure on his final full day in office, putting the requirement in place for the 2026–2027 school year.
- Public schools must ensure students can write cursive legibly and read it fluently in grades three through five.
- Bill sponsors Angela McKnight and Shirley Turner promoted the mandate as preparation for tasks like signing documents and for reading founding-era texts.
- The New Jersey School Boards Association and some educators objected to the statewide mandate, pointing to local control, tight schedules, and resource needs.
- New Jersey joins states such as Delaware in requiring cursive, while similar proposals in Pennsylvania have not advanced.