Bus stop alarm

Police units from Euroa and Nagambie joined Seymour and Benalla detectives in response to an incident at a Violet Town school bus stop on the morning of Friday, 21 November. A small group of St John's Primary School students were approached by 'unfamiliar individuals' who engaged them in conversation while the students waited for their bus. In a letter emailed to parents at noon on Friday, St John's principal Sam Kerlin indicated the conduct of the men was threatening to the children's safety and praised the students for responding 'exceptionally well'. "They remained calm, stayed together and looked after each other," the letter said. "We are incredibly proud of their sensible actions." There were no injuries to any of the students. Euroa police said on Friday afternoon that they were not entirely sure of the individual's intentions and they are still investigating the matter. Police said the identities of the individuals was still being ascertained and it is understood they were not local residents. A spokesperson from Catholic Education Sandhurst said the community needed to “be alert and not alarmed”. "We are making sure kids are aware of the steps they need to take to remain safe," the spokesperson said. "It's now in the hands of the authorities, and now is a good time to reinforce the safety aspect of this with children." The Department of Education sent a letter for distribution to families at Euroa's Primary School and Secondary College. This masthead was informed that all three schools collaborated on their response to the incident. Mr Kerlin said student safety was the school's highest priority. "We encourage families to have gentle conversations with their children about safe behaviours in the community, including the importance of staying with friends, keeping personal information private, and seeking adult help when something doesn’t feel right," he said. "We will also be reinforcing this messaging at school, with age appropriate discussions for all students." Police have asked for the community to report any suspicious or different behaviour of individuals to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or in the case of an emergency dial 000.