School-wagging pupils have ''a right'' to be served, says Kingsley Varr, owner of Kingsley's Chicken.

He says a sweet drink might save a student's life, even if they are cutting class.

Kingsley's Chicken in Conder was approached by local school principal Bill Thompson, who asked the shop to stop serving students between 9am and 3pm.

Mr Thompson said Lanyon High School's 640 pupils are just 500m away from the ''temptation'' of shops at Lanyon Marketplace, Conder.

The teacher of 32 years and his staff are often at the shops herding small groups of students back into the playground.

The principal said it was the law for children younger than 17 to be in school or at training and shop owners who served students in school hours were ''aiding truancy''.

At least seven businesses selling food nearby have promised to do their best to stop serving to truant pupils, but Kingsley's Chicken has refused.

Mr Varr said refusing service could be legally dangerous.

''The questions raised in not serving any customer could lead to exposure to other legal and ethical consequences, [for example] a diabetic child who needs a sweet drink as a matter of urgency [and] who is refused and dies,'' Mr Varr wrote.

''Perhaps in future some government agency will request us to ask all adults if they are on a sickie from work.

''Where do we draw the line and require people to take charge of their own lives?"

For more on this story, including the response of Education Minister Andrew Barr, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.