ATLANTA -- Most, if not all, of students around the state of Georgia will be at home today after Gov. Sonny Perdue asked schools to cancel classes in an attempt to save fuel.

The move has caused an uproar from parents who had to scramble at the last minute to find accommodations for their children following the governor's announcement, which came at 4 p.m. Friday.

The request was not mandatory although most school districts, including Cobb, Gwinnett and Atlanta, agreed to the request.

The move came amid fears that Hurricane Rita, which washed ashore this weekend along the Texas coast, where many of the country's oil refinery plants are located, could put a crimp in the nation's oil production.

The hurricane's damage was not as bad as feared, however.

Rasheed Ahmad said he probably would have to take the day off from work Monday to look after his three daughters, ages 10, 8 and 4.

"Everybody's rushing to day care, asking do you have any vacancy for two days," said Ahmad. "And they say they don't. It's really bad."

Perdue made his decision after learning that a Houston-to-New York pipeline that supplies most of Georgia's gasoline had been shut down, said Dan McLagan, Perdue's spokesman. On Sunday, the pipeline was operating only sporadically.

If school buses had not been idled on purpose at the beginning of the week, they likely would have been shut down by empty tanks by the end of the week, McLagan said.

"The politically safe thing to would be to do nothing, and then blame the hurricane for any subsequent problems. But that's not leadership," McLagan said.

The Republican governor's action was attacked by Secretary of State Cathy Cox, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, who called it a "stunt."

Some people worried that his move would only create a panicked rush to gas stations, although by Sunday that did not seem to have happened, said Jim Tudor, president of the Georgia Association of Convenience Stores.

For parents like Ahmad, Perdue's announcement left little time to make arrangements for children who suddenly had two free days on their hands.

Some parents said it was a lot of trouble for a hurricane that did less damage than predicted.

"People still have to go to work, and the freeways are still going to be packed. I mean I could see if the governor said 'All right, everybody stay home Monday and Tuesday!"' said Kyle Glenn, 44, stepmother of a 10-year-old pupil at Fulton County's Mimosa Elementary School.

As part of the governor's plan to conserve fuel around the state, he urged residents during the Friday news conference to stay calm and not top off their tanks. Perdue also said he has issued an executive order that cancels state travel and asks workers to work from home.

"If all Georgians work together to reduce our demand for fuel over the next couple of weeks, we will have enough market power together to hold prices down," he said. "All together we can influence demand over our state."

As part of Perdue's plan, he asked school districts to allow students to use two inclement weather days on Monday and Tuesday.

"This will save almost 500,000 gallons in diesel fuel in that act alone and energy by closing the buildings," said Perdue, who added that he had a teleconference with superintendents from around the state.

The move comes amid fears that Hurricane Rita, expected to wash ashore this weekend along the Texas coast, where many of the country's oil refinery plants are located, could put a crimp in the nation's oil production.

The industry is still reeling from the damage done a few weeks back by Hurricane Katrina, which prompted gas price spikes throughout Georgia over shortage fears.

At some stations, gas price soared to $6 a gallon over shortage fears.

Perdue asked residents to conserve gas and not hoard fuel.

"If we all cooperate and are considerate of one another, we should have plenty of gas to get by," he said.

Some parents supported the governor's decision.

Rozina Charania, 37, of suburban Gwinnett County, praised the governor's attempt to try to control the situation and conserve fuel. "It made a lot of sense," she said as she walked with her husband and their 9-year-old daughter.

wsbtv.com Staff Writer Alfred Charles contributed to this report.