Schools defending decision to close today

UNDATED - Some school sytems in north Georgia find themselves defending their decision to cancel classes again today.

Major roads may, for the most part be clear, but officials say so many secondary roads are still coated in ice that putting buses on them would be a major hazard.

"Student safety and the safety in our staff, that the number one issue we face in making this determination," Gwinnett school spokeswoman Sloan Roach told Fox 5.

Hall County Schools Supt. Will Schofield said in announcing Thursday that schools would be closed again today "I have just completed a tour of approximately 20 of our school sites and an additional 12-15 remote subdivisions. Our transportation department has also thoroughly checked outlying bus routes and continued to be in communication with local governmental authorities."

(The Georgia News Network contributed to this story.)