If the vehicle is equipped with an active front passenger-side airbag, children less than 5 and less than 40 pounds must be secured in the back seat.

Children under age 16 must ride in a weight appropriate restraint system no matter where they sit.

The law applies to all passenger vehicles with both in-state and out-of-state registration. Driver is held responsible. Fine is $25, plus court costs.

The Clay County School System is located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. It is a small, rural school system of approximztely 1,250 students. There are three schools in the county located on a single campus. The campus boasts a beautiful outdoor education facility, complete with a pond, boardwalk, soil testing station and a variety of native tress, shrubs, plants and wildlife.

Hayesville Elementary is a K-4 school of approximately 400 students. Hayesville Middle School is a 5-8 school with approximately 400 students and Hayesville High School is a 9-12 school with approximately 400 students. All schools are accredited by the North Carolina State Board of Education and Hayesville High School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Test scores are consistently in the top 10% of all schools in North Carolina. Hayesville Elementary has been rated Exemplary every year since the ABC's began. The Pre-School program is flourishing and accepts every child in Clay County that wishes to be included.

Hayesville Middle School has been classified either a School of Distinction or School of Excellence every year since the ABC's began.

Hayesville High School consistently has the best SAT scores of any school in the area. In 2002, Hayesville High School had a SAT average of 1034 with an amazing 75% of the graduating class taking the SAT Exam. We currently have students at Harvard, Duke, MIT, UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech, West Point Military Academy, Naval Military Academy and the Air Force Academy, as well as many other two and four year colleges across the nation. Hayesville High School offers a balanced curriculum in all disciplines, including art, music and foreign languages including Japanese and Latin.

The Athletic program at Hayesville High School is an integral part of school life. The Hayesville High School Athletic program is consistently one of the best in the Smoky Mountain Conference and has been very successful at the state level with State Championships in baseball, basketball, track and cross country.

The entire campus is connected with fiber optics that allows high-speed T-1 connections to the Internet into every classroom, Pre-K - 12. The campus has six "30 station" computer labs for instruction as well as individual computers in every classroom, K-12. No other school system in the state has this kind of Internet accessibility.

Safe daily bus transportation is offered to all students. Hot breakfast and lunch is available for all students and After-school care is offered to students grades K-8.

Facilities are exceptional at all schools. All three schools have been built new or completely renovated since 1988. The citizens of Clay County overwhelmingly passed a bond referendum in 1986 with an 87% positive vote to support new schools. Community support for the schools is very strong.

Clay County Schools has a highly qualified, well-trained staff with nurturing, caring attitudes. Our ission is to develop lifelong learning skills in all students.

Entrance Requirements:
A child entering kindergarten must be five years old on or before October 16th and have a health assessment before entering school. A child entering the first grade must be six years old on or before the same date. A copy of the child’s birth certificate must be taken to school in order to register the child. Transfer students should bring their most recent report card or transfer slip to verify grade.

The Humane Society operates an animal shelter located between Murphy and Andrews on U.S. Hwy. 19/129, approximately five miles north of Walmart.

The Humane Society Thrift Shop, located behind the Valley Village Shopping Center in Murphy, helps to support the shelter. Many local veterinarians honor the low-cost spay/neuter certificates that can be obtained through the Humane Society. The Happy Paws program, a limited no cost spay/neuter program, is aided by area merchants who place banks in their businesses to cover surgical expenses.

Meetings for the Humane Society are held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Penland Senior Center in Murphy. Additional information is available by called the shelter at 828-837-2304.

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In order to show entitlement to licenses issued by the Wildlife Resources Commission, persons exercising the privilege of any license shall carry and show to any Wildlife Enforcement officer upon request a picture identification card which includes the holder's correct name, address, and date of birth. (NCDL or DMV ID card is acceptable.)

As of July 1, 1991, a person, regardless of age, may not purchase a hunting license or hunt in North Carolina without producing a certificate of having completed a hunting safety course or have a copy of a hunting license, or signing a statement that they had a license. It is recommended that you save your old license. For Hunter Safety Course information, call 919-733-7192. The North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting & Trapping REGULATIONS DIGEST may be obtained by contacting the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, 512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604-1188; it is comprehensive, and free to the public. 919-733-3391. http://sislab.sips,state.nc.us/wildlife/

Hunting and fishing licenses may be obtained at Pappy’s One Stop - 389-8445, Clay Farmers Sporting Goods, Clay TV & Appliance 389-8311, and Lee's Country Store 389-6465.

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Visit our Web Site at http://www.grove.net/~nrl

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 900, Hayesville, NC 28904

Telephone Number: 828-389-8401 Fax Number: 828-389-3734

The Moss Memorial Library, a branch of the Nantahala Regional Library, provides Clay County residents with a comprehensive collection of materials and resources to aid in the pursuit of information, research, education, recreation, and the development of creative leisure time.

Some services offered at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville, North Carolina include: Public Internet Access, NC Live Research Database (Remote Access), Audio-visual Equipment for Loan, Materials for the Blind and Handicapped including VideoEye! - a power magnification system, FAX Services, Public Meeting Room, Used Book Store, Bookmobile, Genealogy Collection, Interlibrary Loans, Reference Services, Special Programs and Events, Youth Programs and Activities, Children's Story Times, GED Classes, a Book Discussion Group, Friends of the Library Organization, Volunteer Opportunities for youth and adults, Smart Start Family Resource Center Outreach and Community Information & Referral Services.

Chatuge Regional is a 42-bed acute care hospital with a 112-bed nursing home located on East Main Street in Hiawassee, Georgia. CRH provides general medical and surgical services, a 24-hour emergency room staffed with qualified physicians, a state-of-the-art ICU/CCU, and a variety of diagnostic services.

The hospital also boasts a specialty clinic which is comprised of quality medical specialist. These include urology, ophthalmology, dermatology, podiatry, gastroenterology, and allergy. The Hiawassee Heart Center opened in 1999. This full-time cardiology clinic is a partnership between CRH, Emory Heart Center, and Cardiac Disease Specialist. This clinic offers a wide variety of diagnostic and consultive services.

There are two medical clinics affiliated with Chatuge Regional Hospital: Chatuge Primary Care and Young Harris Family Medicine. All of the practices offer easy access to quality healthcare professionals.