Westisle High School, in Elmsdale west of Summerside, has decided to defy a province-wide ban on smoking on school property rather than have its students smoking on the shoulder of a highway.

'We believe we're exercising due diligence.'- Dale Sabean, Western School Board

School officials have tried to ban smoking on school property before, and say it led to some near misses for students. In July, the Prince Edward Island passed a new law banning smoking on school grounds anywhere in the province. The Western School Board asked for an exception, but the province said no.

"The dilemma the board has is that the only space that would not be school property would be the side of Highway 2," said school board chair Dale Sabean.

"Although there is a reduced speed in that area because it is a school zone, it is a main highway. It has a lot of traffic, and we do see concerns if we are asking students to wait by the side of the road."

Sabean says the school board has decided to simply defy the law. He says trustees believe student safety comes first, so as many as 150 Westisle students are continuing to smoke on school property in a school board sanctioned smoking area.

"We believe we're exercising due diligence in this case," said Sabean.

Sabean said the board knows it could face charges under the province's Smoke-free Places Act, but it's willing to take its chances. It has also asked the province to reconsider its position.