JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Legislation aimed at restoring hands-on learning in Missouri’s elementary classrooms is being debated in the Missouri House of Representatives.
House Bill 2230 bill, known as the “Hands-On Learning Restoration Act,” sponsored by State Rep. Tricia Byrnes, R-Wentzville, seeks to curb excessive screen time in K–5 classrooms and restore foundational instruction through printed books, handwriting and hands-on learning.
“Phones and tablets are tools, but they are not teachers — especially for young children learning to read,” Byrnes said. “We rushed to replace books and handwriting with screens without evidence it improved outcomes. HB 2230 is about restoring balance and putting proven learning methods back at the center of the classroom.”
HB 2230 would cap digital instruction to 45 minutes per day for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, require that the majority of student work be completed on paper, maintain printed textbooks in elementary schools, and mandate research-based instruction in cursive handwriting. The legislation is grounded in neuroscience research linking handwriting to reading fluency, comprehension and spelling development. The bill also preserves the use of assistive technology for students with IEPs or 504 plans.
“We were eyewitnesses to what didn’t work during COVID,” Byrnes said. “We watched our kids struggle in front of screens. Missouri’s reading and math scores fell and continue to drop. Parents and teachers are now pleading for a real course correction back to proven teacher led instructions.”
“Too many of these decisions were influenced by aggressive tech marketing,” Byrnes said. “Companies expanded their reach into elementary classrooms, and learning took a back seat. Schools became a marketplace instead of a place for mastery.”
State Representative Tricia Byrnes, a Republican, represents part of St. Charles County (District 63) in the Missouri House of Representatives. She was elected to her first two-year term in November 2022. For more information, please contact Rep. Byrnes at 573-751-1460 or by email at Tricia.Byrnes@house.mo.gov