Cheerleader uniforms like the ones shown here are causing controversy at a California school. (Reuters)
Cheerleaders' uniforms are sparking controversy from California to Florida, as schools wrestle over whether to set higher standards for outfits some have deemed too skimpy.
A California high school is ordering members of its cheerleading squad to cover up their uniforms during school hours in an attempt to crack down on clothing considered risque, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Principal Traci William of San Jose's Piedmont Hills High School reportedly ruled that the cheerleaders must cover up with sweat pants if they want to wear the skirts in class.
"Pockets are hanging out," Williams said of the skirts, according to the newspaper. "Cheeks are hanging out. We don't want them bending over."
And Leesburg High School in Lake County, Fla., has told cheerleaders they can't wear their uniforms to school, even on game days, unless they also wear additional clothing to make the outfits less skimpy, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Some students aren't happy about the new standards.
Wearing the cheerleading uniform "shows that we're a team just like the other sports," Michelle Thomas, a varsity cheerleader at Leesburg, told the Orlando Sentinel.
And Piedmont Hills senior Antonia Bavilacqua told the Mercury News that the school's policy is "really unfair."
"We're just sad and hurt," she said. "It's our school colors and spirit. And they're making us feel like outcasts."
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