Smoking laws in Education

[Asquire]

I attend 6th form at a Grammar school in Kent, I am 18 and smoke. Basically, during free periods sometimes and also during lunch time me and some friends will go outside to smoke. Recently the headmaster has been coming out on the road and telling us we cannot smoke here, and essentially saying that we are not allowed to smoke at all in school time. There have been complaints about people on the road making noise sometimes, but this is not that often and noise something to be expected for neighbours of a high school. The last time he came out and we were smoking he has said we now have to litter pick around the school. As far as i can see we are not doing anything wrong, not being particularly loud, just smoking off school property. Basically what i would like to know is what right does the headmaster have to force us, all 18 year olds, to carry out this punishment when we are doing nothing against the law and nothing on school property.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

There may be laws regulating the area surrounding a school. I know there are with regard to drugs, that's for sure. Additionally, I don't think you'll find any sympathy from the judiciary or legal system since you're clearly not a good influence on the other children. I'd say that you should use common sense - legal or illegal, you're not going to be treated well if you understandably annoy your headmaster.