MONROE, Ohio -- At most schools there were pep rallies Friday ahead of the big games, complete with players in their jerseys and cheerleaders in their uniforms.

But at Monroe, the outfits that are fine for the field don't fly in the classroom.

While the cheerleaders were showing off their uniforms Friday night, they were not dressed that way earlier in the day at school.

Many wore long shorts and T-shirts, and then put their uniforms on over the top during their pep rally.

They've been warned their skirts violate the school's dress code.

"The skirts that the cheerleaders wear are very short, and they're very tight and they're slit so they can do the gymnastics that are required of a cheerleader," Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said.

Lolli said girls need to wear something else during the school day -- the skirts are only OK during assemblies or games.

“You want to have students wear appropriate clothing during the educational period of the day, and then after school, wear the appropriate clothing for the event," she said.

Previously, the uniforms weren't an issue because the district's dress code was not specific on the required length of shorts and skirts. Lolli said that the policy was clarified this year to require that the bottoms of shorts and skirts be no more than 3 inches above the knee.

Parents said that it's frustrating to have the school say that the uniforms they provided come up short.

“My daughter is a senior, this is her last year. We paid for uniforms and they should be able to wear them on game day," Becky Daniel said.

"They conduct themselves like ladies, they are representatives of the school, they all handle themselves very well, and I think that it's ridiculous," Tonya Turner said.

Some of the parents said the dress code shouldn't apply to cheerleaders’ uniforms, but Lolli said they can wear something under the skirts or over the skirts, and since there’s an alternative, they shouldn't be exempt from the rules.