Anne Arundel County police say their investigation determined that what was originally reported as “suspicious activity” at Crofton Elementary School Monday was actually a “misunderstanding.”

Rather than a man asking random children to get into his car, police said, investigators learned that a grandfather stopped by the school looking for his grandchild.

“He started shouting the kid’s name, which sounded a lot like ‘come here, come here,’” police spokesman Marc Limansky said. “It’s all vetted. He has a kid in the public school system.”

When three middle school students who live in Crofton arrived at their Annapolis-area magnet programs Monday morning, they reported the encounter to school officials, according to police.

The children said they were waiting for their buses at Crofton Elementary around 8 a.m. when a gray sedan pulled up next to them. Police said the students reported the driver asked them to get into his car, “stating he was taking them to school.”

Anne Arundel County Public Schools officials immediately contacted police, wrote Jim Todd, assistant superintendent for Annapolis and Crofton secondary schools, in an email and text messages to Crofton-area parents. Police interviewed the students and the school system offered them resources.

Despite determining there was no threat, school and police officials used the misunderstanding as an opportunity to encourage parents to go over safety precautions with their children.

Police are “thankful for the vigilance of the students and school staff, and the prompt reporting that allowed for a quick resolution,” the department said in a statement Tuesday.

The officials said children should walk in groups, be aware of their surroundings, have a plan if a stranger approaches, and report anything unusual to an adult.

Safety concerns can be reported anonymously around the clock to the Safe Schools Maryland Tip Line at 833-MD-B-SAFE.