ATLANTA - Schools around Georgia are closed Friday because of the brutal cold. <br>
<br>
School officials and parents did not want children who are not used to such temperatures waiting for buses or walking to school in temperatures below ten degrees. <br>
<br>
Spencer Ragsdale is a spokesman for DeKalb County schools, which are closed Friday. <br>
<br>
He says the critical issue to officials is how safe it is to operate the buses and how safe it is for children to walk to school. <br>
<br>
Schools also closed in Dougherty County in southwest Georgia, where Albany reported a low temperature of 14. School officials did not want students exposed to a wind chill that made it feel like four degrees. The system has 16,500 students -- including 13,000 who ride school buses.
