GALVESTON, Texas -- Two Galveston elementary school students said a man tried to grab them and drag them into a van, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

The girls, 9-year-old Jordan Galloway and her 7-year-old sister Chanel, said the incident took place behind Scott Elementary School, 5116 Avenue N 1/2, as they were walking on Wednesday shortly before 4 p.m.

The 9-year-old told officers that she and her sister heard the vehicle behind them and she turned around to find a man with the driver's window down and the vehicle's door open, slowly coming toward them.

The girls ran off and made it safely to her aunt's home. The aunt notified police.

The sisters attend school two miles away at Rosenberg Elementary School because Scott Elementary is closed from damages from Hurricane Ike. However, buses still drop them off at Scott for convenience.

Their mother said she picks the girls up around the corner. She said she will now meet them where they are dropped off.

The Galveston School District police chief said he believes the man knew the girls' routine.

"Apparently, he is from the area because he knows this school is closed and nobody is here at the time, and this is more of an isolated area. Usually, that's when attacks happen," he said.

The man was described as black, middle-age, slim, with a shaved head and medium complexion. He was wearing an orange or tan shirt. He was driving a newer gold or tan van with four darkly tinted windows.

The girls said no one else appeared to be in the van.

Security has been beefed up in the area.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to the Galveston Independent School District at 409-766-5811 or 409-692-2923, or the Galveston Police Department at 409-765-3702.

Students Urged To Be Cautious

The Galveston County School District issued the following tips students can use to protect themselves and avoid being a target of a person that wants to do them harm.

Be aware of who you talk to. You never know who you could meet during the course of your day, so you need to be careful of strangers you talk to. Don't give out personal information to someone you've just met.
Know your surroundings. Be aware of the people around you and the environment. If you know someone is following you or you have a "strange feeling," go to an area with many people or go to a local security/police station.
Let someone know where you are or where you're going. Let someone know where you are going so someone can have an idea of where you are suppose to be, and when you are supposed to get there.
Try not to be predictable. If you use the same routine day after day, change up from time to time so you are not doing the same things all the time. It makes it difficult for someone who is trying to do you harm from planning an attack.
Try to as much as possible when you are at school or at home to travel in groups because there is protection in numbers. Limit your time as much as possible of being alone, because predators like to take advantage of opportunities when targets are alone.
When feasible, invest in personal protection (self-defense classes, defensive tactics, whistle attached to a key ring etc.). It is always best if the situation ever arises that you can act quickly. Personal protection devices work best.
Keep yourself informed of the latest information. Sometimes the news can be very disheartening and disturbing. However, in the case of predators you need to be informed as much as possible. A lot of times the news of a predators can be redundant, but pay attention to the little things that are being reported, such as what time of day are the attacks happening, who is being attacked and the location of the attacks.