CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — The tragedy in Uvalde, Texas started a ripple effect with school administrators this summer. Superintendents began to prioritize safety measures at their schools, and for Catawba County Schools superintendent Dr. Matt Stover, increasing safety protocols rose to the top of his list. 

Catawba County Schools superintendent Matt Stover wants new body scanners at schools this year to increase safety measures

The district bought 10 metal detectors last school year, but Stover says they are not practical and slow down arrival and dismissal times

Stover also asked for more school resource officers in order to place an officer at each elementary school 

“What we’re trying to do is prioritize safety, and if we need to reduce something else to make this happen, that is certainly something that our school board wants to do and our administration," Stover said. “What we’re trying to do is prioritize safety, and if we need to reduce something else to make this happen, that is certainly something that our school board wants to do and our administration," Stover said. 

The district bought 10 metal detectors last school year, but Stover says they are not practical, and they slow down arrival and dismissal time for students and staff. 

Stover wants to lease Evolv scanners and place them at the middle and high schools. 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools utilized the technology last school year after a string of guns were found on school campus. 

Students and staff walk through the scanners, and the machines pick up the outline of a possible weapon such as a gun, knife or taser. The machine signals the approximate location of the weapon on the student or person and alerts staff, which is stationed by the scanners. 

“You just keep walking through, it looks for certain images and when it sees an image it shouldn’t, it puts an image box a piece of your body on our monitor, and it's a way for us to go to the next step and pull you aside and say 'hey, we need to know what's in your left pocket for example,'" Stover said. 

The superintendent also asked for a school resource officer to be placed at each elementary school. In the past, the Catawba County Sheriff's Office would rotate officers between the elementary schools. 

Stover says he understands not all parents will agree with his decisions, but he wants to protect his students, staff and community. 

“Folks, if you think it can’t happen to you, then that's probably going to be your biggest problem, and you got to pretend like it will, and plan for the worst, and hope and pray for the best, but in our county it's our No. 1 priority, and that's safety," Stover said.