Senate Bill 13 mandates the incorporation of cursive writing into the state model academic standards for English language arts. It requires that all school boards, independent charter schools, and private schools participating in a parental choice program include cursive writing in their elementary curricula. Specifically, the bill stipulates that students must be able to write legibly in cursive by the end of fifth grade. The bill introduces several new sections to the statutes, including 115.28 (55p), which outlines the requirement for cursive writing in the English language arts standards, and 121.02 (1) (k) 4., which sets the objective for cursive writing proficiency.

The bill also includes provisions for charter schools and private schools, ensuring that their curricula align with the new cursive writing requirements. Sections 118.40 (2r) (b) 2. m. and 118.40 (2x) (b) 2. m. specify that charter school contracts must include the academic objective for cursive writing, while sections 118.60 (2) (a) 10. and 119.23 (2) (a) 10. require private schools to incorporate this objective if they operate elementary grades. The implementation of these requirements is set to take effect for contracts entered into or modified on the effective date of the bill, with specific applicability for private schools participating in a parental choice program starting in the 2026-27 school year.