Diamond Bar High School student Diego Santos has hardly known a school district other than Walnut Valley Unified School District.

“I left Pomona at the start of second grade,” Santos, a freshman, said. “I was bullied a lot at Diamond Point [Elementary School] so I wanted to leave that school, so my mom signed me up for Walnut Valley.”

WVUSD, which is located approximately 25 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, uses a similar method of selecting transfer applicants as Oak Park Unified School District; students must enter a lottery system.  Out of the many applicants, only a select number of students will be able to switch districts through the District of Choice program.

Santos made the cut, and since transferring he said he’s been happy with Walnut Valley.

“The teachers are better, there’s overall not [as much] bullying that’s going on [at Walnut Valley], and Pomona people are getting bullied every day,” Santos said. “I was [bullied] too, and at Walnut Valley I was never bullied once.”

Throughout his primary and secondary education, Santos has sought new friends and new opportunities. As a freshman this year, he plans to join his school’s wrestling team.

As the legislature failed to renew the DOC program this year, Santos expressed concern that he wouldn’t be able to stay at his current school.

“If we end up having to go back to our Pomona district, I’ll end up losing a lot of friends,” Santos said.

He took the opportunity to voice his concerns when he heard that the community of Diamond Bar was looking for students to speak at a pro-DOC rally Aug. 27.

“I wanted to speak because of how much I love this school district; I don’t want to leave it,” Santos said.

But according to Santos, it’s not just about his own experience. He is opposed to compromises that would fall short of renewing the DOC program, such as allowing current DOC students to stay at their school until graduating.

“I’d be able to stay [at Diamond Bar High School], which would be perfectly fine,” Santos said, “but for a lot of other kids, they’d end up just finishing eighth or fifth grade and then they’d have to go back to their old school and lose all their friends.”

In the case of WVUSD, the issue is especially pressing. According to DOC parent and rally organizer Sandra Hwang, the district could face the closure of approximately three to four schools across grade levels.

“There is absolutely zero possibility that all the schools would remain open in the aftermath [of DOC ending],” Hwang wrote in an email.