N.Y. state has awoken and has now reintroduced the teaching of cursive as a requirement for ALL schools now. And I'm sure that it is still being taught in private schools there.
My grandson is in school, in Texas, and it is being taught in his private school, as well in the public schools some of his friend attend. These are NOT isolated instances.
It may take a while for other states to reintroduce cursive, but it has now come roaring back. Not as thoroughly as it was taught, when I was in the third & fourth grades ( they no longer teach it with kids using a straight pen, with inkwells in the desks, but it IS being taught with kids using a different type of pen.
Sadly, they threw the Palmer method out of school, about 40+ years ago ( and I don't care for the methods being used now, but oh well...), but my grandson dies have a lovely hand, which is not "usual", for boys today.
Where do your friend's grands live?
Tennessee.