Is it true that the ACT essay, or “writing,” section is optional?

Sort of – when you register, you can choose whether or not you want to write the essay, which is at the end of the test. Some schools don’t require the ACT essay, but some schools do. To find out, look up the schools you’re applying to and figure out whether or not they require the ACT writing portion. If they don’t, there’s no point in taking it. If they do, then you must. It’s not particularly important, but if a school requires it, you still have to do it. Either way, it doesn’t affect your scores on the “out of 36” scale on any of the 4 major sections, and schools don’t really care much about it. But it’s so insanely easy to write well that I still recommend taking a shot at it! You can check out my free guide on the basics here:
https://greentestprep.com/resources/act-prep/new-act-essay-writing-section/