South Carolina General Assembly120th Session, 2013-2014

H. 4868

STATUS INFORMATION

General BillSponsors: Reps. W.J. McLeod, Bernstein, Rivers, Quinn, Jefferson, Erickson, Williams, King, Whipper, Atwater, Robinson-Simpson, Kennedy, Ryhal, Hosey, Spires, Brannon, Bales, Ballentine, Bowen, R.L. Brown, Clyburn, Delleney, Dillard, Finlay, Hamilton, Hodges, Long, D.C. Moss, Munnerlyn, Neal, Norrell, R.L. Ott, Pope and WoodDocument Path: l:\council\bills\agm\18171ab14.docx

Introduced in the House on March 6, 2014Currently residing in the House Committee on Education and Public Works

Summary: Cursive Writing Education Act

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date Body Action Description with journal page number 3/6/2014 House Introduced and read first time (House Journal - page 5 )3/6/2014 House Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works (House Journal - page 5 )

3/11/2014 House Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Wood

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

3/6/2014

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A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, SO AS TO ENACT THE “CURSIVE WRITING EDUCATION ACT”; BY ADDING SECTION 59-29-15 SO AS TO ADD CURSIVE WRITING TO THE REQUIRED SUBJECTS OF INSTRUCTION FOR SECOND GRADE AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, TO REQUIRE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE COMPETENCE IN CREATING READABLE DOCUMENTS THROUGH LEGIBLE CURSIVE HANDWRITING BY THE END OF THIRD GRADE, TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMINOLOGY, AND TO PROVIDE THAT BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2015, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL DEVELOP RELATED STANDARDS AND ASSIST THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN IDENTIFYING THE MOST APPROPRIATE MEANS FOR INTEGRATING THESE REQUIREMENTS INTO THEIR EXISTING CURRICULUMS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. This act must be known and may be cited as the “Cursive Writing Education Act”.

SECTION 2. Article 1, Chapter 29, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

“Section 59-29-15. (A) Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, each school district shall provide instruction in cursive writing to students in the second grade and the third grade to ensure that those students can demonstrate competence in creating readable documents through the use of legible cursive handwriting

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by the end of third grade. This requirement is in addition to the requirement that writing be a subject of instruction in each school district pursuant to Section 59-29-10.

(B) For the purposes of this section, ‘cursive writing’ means a form of handwriting in which letters in a word are connected in script fashion. For cursive to be legible, the letters must be formed in the accepted standard that also may be easily read.

(C) The State Department of Education shall:(1) determine an accepted standard of forming letters written

in cursive to be used as the basis upon which students shall learn to write cursive letters before January 1, 2015; and

(2) after determining the standards required under item (1), assist each school district in identifying the most appropriate means for integrating this requirement into its existing curriculums.”

SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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