My college student and high schooler both learned in 3rd grade.
I'm guessing the thinking here is that cursive isn't used nearly as much as it used to be, that e-mail is replacing letters, and that most everyone has access to a computer.
I had to give up writing in cursive in college, because I would end up scribbling my notes and not be able to decipher them later. For tests and papers, the professors didn't care either way, as long as it was legible. I also had professors - especially for tests - that didn't mind pencil.
In graduate school, papers were required to be typed, because everyone seemed to have access to a computer, word processor, or secretary. I had one professor that required the papers to be word processed, not just typed.
When I got out of college and got a job, before PC's were common in business, I was required to fill out all paper work using legible, dark, print in pencil. Everything got copied before submission and signatures.
Fortunately for me, my father required all of his children to take typing in high school. He typed 120 wpm, and had illegible handwriting. I inherited his illegible handwriting, but not his typing speed.
My high school jobs were in offices where everything was typewritten.
How many of us here know how to use a slide-rule? I had a chemistry teacher in HS that required us to use one, even though calculators were then becoming relatively inexpensive and common everywhere.
I'll finally get to my point - I understand what the school is thinking, that cursive is probably on the way out, and that there are more important things to learn, I also think it is too soon to stop teaching it.
I'll also add that our office is about to hire someone for a clerical position, and I could care less what her handwriting looks like, or whether or not she can write in cursive, but she is going to have to be able to type and have strong computer skills.
I was just thinking, when was the last time I read anything in cursive? Nothing today, nothing this week, I doubt anything this month. The only time I write in cursive is to write a check, which I rarely do since I print most of my checks from the computer, or use a debit card.
I'd be really interested in hearing what the teacher or principal say is their rationale for not teaching cursive.