CLEVELAND -- The scene outside Success Tech High School on October 10, 2007 was frantic.

A student carrying a bagful of weapons roamed the hallways and eventually turned a gun on himself.

You might think the school system would move quickly to do whatever it could to protect students. So did the Cleveland City Council.

"I'm disappointed," Councilman Kevin Conwell said.

Conwell is one of 18 members of the City Council who voted unanimously for a program they believed would save lives.

The program is a computerized mapping system showing every school hallway, every room, and every closet where a gunmen could hide.

Conwell said, "I was surprised. I thought it was being used because all grants have deadlines."

And NewsChannel5 found it's the exact same system already protecting students across Ohio, including schools in Cuyahoga Heights.

"If something were to happen within the building we can denote that area by color and by number exactly," school superintendant Peter Geurrera said.

And it was approved for Cleveland schools.

The 5 On Your Side investigation found this letter from the U.S. Department of Justice more than a year ago awarding $80,000 to buy it.

It's a federal grant that help police and school systems boost security.

Avon Lake's one of 152 schools across the country that's already using it's cash.

"When you walk down the hall you see just a little black knob and it shoots up and down all of the buildings," school superintendent Bob Scott said.

Avon police officer, Brian Hurd, said, "I have the ability of being right at my desk and I can monitor areas there."

But 14 months after Cleveland got its money, not a dime's been spent.

NewsChannel5 found that the project was suddenly abandoned by top school officials 6 months after the grant was awarded.

Meanwhile, the city's public safety director concedes these could be costly delays. Martin Flask said, "People's lives, children's live are always at stake. And if you have a good idea and you have the funds to move forward, it's better to move as quickly as you can because you reduce the potential risk associated with delay."

Flask said there was plenty of money to map about a dozen targeted schools. But top school officials called it too expensive after demanding that every school be included or none at all.

Now, student's safety will have to wait even longer while a new grant request is filed.

School officials declined NewsChannel5's request for an interview.