The Claremont Unified School District Board of Education held its first February meeting after press time Thursday at the Richard S. Kirkendall Education Center, 170 W. San Jose Ave.

The board was set to consider a resolution allowing Dinah Felix, assistant superintendent, business services, to sign and execute the We-Can-Work program agreement between the State of California Department of Rehabilitation and the school district.

“The We-Can-Work (WCW) contracts are funded by Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) to provide DOR Student Services work based learning experience, as directed by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for students with a disability (SWD), ages 16 through 21, who are in high school, and either potentially eligible for or recipients of DOR services,” according to the Department of Rehabilitation’s website.

The board was also to hear a proposal to add a new course at San Antonio High School, English 103: composition and critical thinking.

“In partnership with Citrus College, San Antonio High School is preparing to offer English 103 as a dual enrollment course for the 2023-2024 year,” according to the agenda report. “This course uses literature as a basis for the teaching of critical thinking and composition. The emphasis is upon the analysis of issues, problems, and situations represented in fiction, drama, poetry, and on the development of effective written arguments in support of the analysis. The prerequisites for this course are successful completion of one of the following Citrus courses: English 101 (offered currently at CHS and SAHS), English 101E, or English 101H.”

As part of its ceremonial matters the board recognized Fiona Wu, a sophomore at Claremont High School, for her efforts to get people aged 18 to 24 to register to vote and go to the polls ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

“Collaborating with school staff, she educated juniors and seniors about voting, leading to the distribution of voter registration forms,” according to the agenda. “This initiative resulted in 615 completed forms showcasing the impact of student-led civic engagement in our community.”

The Courier will report on Thursday’s meeting in next week’s edition.