Matt Lucas

Actor, Comedian, & Writer
Diagnosed Alopecian

Bullying in our schools is truly out of control! We are seeing record numbers of both in-person and online incidents being reported with harassment and assault of all types and often severe. Any parent or caregiver knows exactly how helpless it feels when their child is being bullied, especially repeatedly.

You hate seeing them in pain and hurting, knowing no one is helping them. You’re doing everything you know to do and it may seem like there’s no immediate improvement. You wonder what it will take to help them through this successfully. Do you go through the school or outside the school? Maybe both? If you report it will there be retaliation from bullies and even the school itself? How bad will this get before things get better and is it even worth it?

Many caregivers begin to wonder if they have what it takes to help their child through this – but you know that no kid should be afraid to be who they are. It’s excruciating to watch your child face such harassment, it’s very likely you might find yourself in the same position as Rio’s family. Rio’s school failed to protect her from being bullied. Her parents received little to no support over the course of nearly an entire school year as she was incessantly bullied for her appearance due to her Alopecia. They offered little more than platitudes, Rio’s parents never received confirmation that her bullies’ parents were even informed directly of the situation. School staff also did not intervene when they witnessed bullying behavior taking place first hand. Just like Rio’s family you may also find yourself repeating instances to different people within the school structure itself, from teachers, principles even up to the superintendent with little to no known responses.

Our efforts don’t really seem to be making a big enough dent in what is frankly an epidemic.

As parents, we witness horrendous and cruel things happening to our babies. We lost our Rio even while we fought fiercely to help & protect her against her bullies! We are going through the hardest and worst possible outcome that bullying can take. At Rio’s Rainbow, we understand. We’re not done fighting! We don’t want this outcome to happen to anyone else. We love Rio, she means the whole world to us.

So, we are partnering with parents and caregivers from all over the world to tell Rio’s story and the thousands of others like her so that students and families know that they are not alone.

Our children should not be afraid to go to school! They deserve the ability to attend school alongside their peers without fear; free from the threats of physical, mental and emotional violence. We can’t succeed in this goal individually, we need to be united in addressing how out of control bullying has become. When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behaviors over time. 

If you or your child is being or has been bullied you can be part of the solution! Join our growing support community and donate to Rio’s Rainbow as we take Rio’s Message to everyone to help end bullying!