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Remember once upon a time, when skirts were seen as a liberating style statement? These days, they're viewed as a high-risk factor, at least by one school in North Yorkshire, England.

St. Aidan's Church of England High School, a mixed secondary school, has issued a ban on skirts as part of the school uniform, regardless of length. From September, all female pupils up to age 15 will have to wear black trousers (15- and 16-year-old girls are allowed to wear skirts, provided the hemline falls no more than 3 inches above the knee).

Head teacher Dennis Richards sent a letter to parents stating that the children were "wholly unaware of the signals they are giving out." He continued, "We have been seriously concerned now, for a number of years, that girls as young as 12/13 years of age are placing themselves at risk by wearing skirts of a wholly inappropriate length."

The school has had problems enforcing skirt lengths in the past, with girls of 12 and 13 hiking up their hemlines several inches between leaving home and arriving in the classroom (standard operating procedure from the "Clueless" era, surely?), which parents have been critical about, but Richards says he's received supportive messages regarding the new ban.

It sounds kind of outrageous to us. Plus, last time we checked, pants didn't inhibit skanky behavior.