There is a time and place for fashion statements. But school is not one of them, according to some area high schools.

Evanston Township High School now is enforcing its dress code more strictly, as fashion brings clothes closer toward the fringe.

With “the new styles like the low hiphuggers,” a lot more kids are baring midriffs, ETHS Associate Principal Bruce Romain said. Although the code bans standard fare like hats and clothing with gang affiliations, the section currently being addressed deals with skirts and shorts that are extremely short, tight or see-through, as well as shirts that are cropped or backless.

The school sent out a letter in August warning students and parents about the more stringent enforcement of the code, ETHS administrators said in a statement.

According to the dress code, “appropriate dress and grooming are critical to the maintenance of a safe, educationally conducive school atmosphere.” Romain said students should be dressed in such a way “where they’re not a distraction to others.”

Students who don’t obey the dress code are sent to the dean. They must change into appropriate clothes, which they often have in their lockers, Romain said.

Dress code violations lead to detention only when they involve defiance of authority, such as a refusal to change clothes or wearing the offensive clothing after being warned, Romain said.

ETHS is not alone in its request for reasonably modest dress during the school day.

The dress code at Niles North High School in Skokie states that students’ dress and grooming shouldn’t disrupt learning or “compromise reasonable standards of health, safety and decency.”

Specific requirements are almost identical to those at ETHS, including no halter-tops, tube-tops, or bare midriffs; no hats or coats; and no clothing that advertises alcohol or cigarettes.

Enforcement at Niles North, as at ETHS, is about correcting the dress and not punishing the student.

“Normally we have some extra shirts here, or they can get their own, or we’ll call a parent to come in,” Niles North Dean Sue Hoffmann said.

At New Trier High School in Wilmette, the dress code is “basic, common sense, good judgement,” said Mary Goettsche, secretary for the dean.

Clothing should reflect an atmosphere of learning and show cleanliness and decency, according to New Trier’s code. Offensive clothing includes those with gang symbols, obscenities, or innuendos “harmful to development” of students.

Dress codes come down to student comfort and safety.

“The intent is not to punish kids,” Romain said. “It’s to get them to dress appropriately and safely.”