Principal Ian Crossley said a year 9 student, aged 15, notified staff when she arrived at the Kiewa Street campus yesterday morning that a man on a pushbike had grabbed her buttock as he rode past her on the walking path alongside Bungambrawatha Creek, near Jones Street, about 8.30am.

Another year 9 girl then came forward saying she had also recently been brushed past by a male cyclist on her way to school.

“She didn’t think anything of it at the time,” Mr Crossley said yesterday.

“Today it was a little more deliberate, obviously.”

Mr Crossley said he was glad the students felt comfortable reporting the incidents.

“Quite clearly, there are people in our society who don’t always behave appropriately and that is concerning,” he said.

“We really work towards making sure that kids feel comfortable about reporting these things and that the issues are dealt with by the appropriate authorities.

“It’s all about safety.”

The school has offered both students counselling but neither girl has yet taken it up.