AUGUSTA— As technology becomes more and more integrated into our lives, skills like cursive handwriting are looked at as old fashioned.

District 31 State Sen. Justin Chenette,  D-Saco, would like young people to still learn this skill. 

Chenette proposed a bill, LR 2659, An Act to Include Cursive Writing in High School Graduation Standards, that would have required graduating seniors have some familiarity with cursive hand-writing.

The bill failed to get approval from the Legislative Council on Thursday to move forward to a public hearing, and thus can not be considered by the Legislature. 

However, Chenette believes the skill is important, and may address the matter as part of a broader bill.

Chenette said he would like to see a life skills curriculum requirement for Maine students, through which students would learn “real world” skills such as financial literacy and cooking that will help them be successful adults.

He said he receives letters written in cursive from constituents, and without knowledge of cursive would not be able to read them. 

Included in this curriculum would be at least an introduction to cursive writing, said Chenette. He argues that knowledge of cursive writing is relevant to the real world. 

Chenette said even learning to sign one’s own name in cursive is important, as a signature is required for legal, financial and other official documents. 

Cursive is also important to know when doing historical research, as many old documents are written in cursive.

“We all know how to use Google, but we should not turn our keys to education over to a search engine,” said Justin Chenette. “It’s about protecting the next generation and empowering them by giving them the tools they need.”

Chenette said it is unclear how many schools in Maine are still teaching cursive, and at what level. He said he hopes he has sparked conversation on the topic, which will lead to information on what is being taught around the state.  

In 2016, Alabama and Louisiana passed laws mandating cursive proficiency, making a total of 14 states that required cursive, according to a March 2017 Associated Press report. 

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.