From short shorts to the popular knee-length Bermuda shorts, it's no secret that clothing styles drastically change.

In the teenage world, what was popular last year, or last month even, soon vanishes and new styles make their way onto store shelves and into public schools.

Because of this constant creation of new styles and the recycling of old trends, it's no wonder school officials often face resistance from students challenging dress code polices.

However, while school district officials in Butler County recognize the importance of this common form of self expression, they also agree it can coexist with long-standing school policies.

"We know that students have the right to expression, especially with political and religious expression," said Michael Strutt, assistant superintendent for secondary education in the Butler School District.

"We try to take a common sense approach, not a zero-tolerance policy, because it's not cut and dry. We try to have our principals use discretion and interpretive judgments."

Despite the fact that principals and other school administrators use this judgment to determine whether a specific student's dress is appropriate, some articles of clothing are banned.

Some of the prohibited items are simply deemed age-group inappropriate with the ability to distract from learning, while others are banned for health and safety reasons.

Although clothing deemed inappropriate at Butler, Moniteau and South Butler school districts may seem like matters of common sense, according to school officials, the policies still face resistance.

"Some of the issues we have with the high school students are T-shirts that suggest certain things," said Alicia Beighley, assistant principal at Moniteau Junior-Senior High School.

Most of these, she said, include shirts with beer brand logos or with sexually suggestive phrases.

At Butler, Strutt said a lot of the school's dress problems have been with midriff baring shirts that have become fashionable, especially during the warm months.

However, in terms of official resistance in the form of school board petitions, Strutt said Butler students recently requested to wear camouflage clothing, which the board had previously deemed inappropriate except for official student organizations such as the JROTC uniforms.

"Within the last 10 years, we had some issues with student factions that were negative in intent wearing camo," Strutt said of the board's reasoning to uphold the ban.

Also, although administrators at all three school districts said they have not received many official petitions, processes have been designed into the systems for possible dress code modifications.

For Knoch High School, the South Butler School Board will review a policy in accordance with what is being practiced in the school and then allow a few weeks or months for comments before any changes are made, according to district spokesman Todd O'Shell.

"We don't just enact changes at one meeting," O'Shell said. "It's a process."

Also, students and parents must keep in mind the diversity of opinions.

"What one student wears is not always deemed appropriate in the minds of another student or parent," O'Shell said.

"We want to keep people in a safe environment so there's not an issue of someone being offended."

In addition to creating a comfortable atmosphere for students, the school boards that write the dress code policies also take into consideration students' physical safety.

One of these safety restrictions included at all three districts' is that no outerwear such as coats and jackets are permitted to be worn in the classrooms.

"It's just part of our safety policy," Strutt said. "The more you wear, the more you can conceal."

Another safety issue expressed by officials in the three school districts is the importance of safe footwear.

"Students are not supposed to wear flip flops," Strutt said. "Some will wear them, but they really aren't the safest."

While school officials agree the shoes may be appropriate for the beach, they point out they can cause a tripping hazard in schools.

"One thing that's changed in our dress code is (banning) flip flops because they are a safety hazard," O'Shell said of South Butler's policy.

"It's in our student handbook that if a student comes to school wearing them, a parent will have to bring them appropriate footwear," he said.

In addition to ensuring that students are safe and dressed appropriately, the school boards also have policies that take hygiene into consideration.

In fact, each district has a clause that states student dress and grooming must not interfere with any other individual's health.

"Health and safety are at the forefront of our dress code policy," O'Shell said. "We don't want to cause any unhealthy situations for students."

To promote the health and safety of students in the Butler, Moniteau and South Butler school districts, school administrators and school board members agree on these do's and don't's for student attire:<B>Acceptable</B>• Pants, shorts, skirts and dresses that extend below fingertips when arms are fully extended down the sides.• Footwear that would not constitute a health or safety concern.• Clothes that are clean, neat and worn the way they were designed to be worn.• Apparel officially approved for religious or health reasons, even if normally prohibited such as headgear and sunglasses.<B>Unacceptable</B>• Apparel that reveals the stomach area, lower back, chest or sides of the upper body.• Apparel that exposes anything that is meant to be an under garment.• Apparel designed as sleepwear.• Any jewelry that could cause an accident or injury, including any type of chain or spike.• Any type of hat or head gear, including baseball caps and bandanas.• Jackets and coats considered outerwear while the student is inside a building.• Articles of clothing, jewelry or tattoos that promote violence, sex, drugs, gangs or are demeaning to a person's race, religion, gender, etc.• Torn, ragged or soiled clothing.• Sunglasses while the student is inside a building.