Since at least the mid 1990s when students were made to turn their Coed Naked T-shirts inside-out, schools have prohibited clothing advertising weapons, alcohol or cigarettes, and containing obscene messages or images.

In the days when the name brand was seemingly at the height of its popularity, students were reprimanded for wearing shirts with messages such as “Co-ed Naked Billiards — Get felt on the table.”

Lately, according to news reports nationally and around the state, this type of clothing is becoming racier and more popular among teens, containing sexually explicit messages or innuendoes. Shirts advertised at popular clothing stores are emblazoned with suggestive messages such as “Thank your girlfriend for me,” “Why do I need to think? I have these.” or “Yes, but not with you.” Others contain potentially offensive messages like “The police never think it’s as funny as you do,” “I put the fun in funeral,” or “Community college, easier than regular college.”

Local principals said though school dress codes normally prohibit clothing with explicit messages, questionable attire is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, meaning if an article of clothing is deemed blatantly offensive by school staff, the student is told to change as soon as possible. Three county principals and one teacher said shirts with innuendoes have been around for years, and though some school systems in the U.S. are struggling with the issue, they haven’t noticed a larger number of students wearing the shirts.

Fairview High School Principal Stanley Burden said to his knowledge, students or parents haven’t expressed disagreement with the school’s dress code. Burden said in past years, some students have been reprimanded for wearing clothing advertising tobacco or alcohol, but this year, he hasn’t noticed students wearing shirts with suggestive messages to school.

Hanceville Middle School Principal Paul Anderson said many parents and teachers may be unaware their child’s T-shirt contains a double meaning.

“You just have to know the slang, and a lot of parents don’t know, which can contribute to the problem,” he said.

Anderson said if a student is in violation of the school’s dress code, they are required to correct the situation immediately, either by turning the shirt inside-out, or by changing into a P.E. T-shirt.

“Kids kind of know what they can get away with, and what they can’t,” he said. “Sometimes a teacher will come to me and say ‘what do you think about this?’ and I’ll say, ‘yes, that needs to be corrected,’ but we still try to let kids be kids.”

Cullman High School Principal Lane Hill said T-shirts with sexually suggestive messages haven’t been a problem this year and are not allowed at school in accordance with the dress code.

“We try to keep an eye on those types of things and address them,” he said. “We don’t allow anything in our dress code that is sexually explicit.”

Cindy Smith, an English teacher at Holly Pond High School, said she hasn’t seen blatantly explicit shirts worn in her classes. She said even if a student says a shirt bearing an innuendo isn’t meant to be sexually suggestive, school staff determine if the student is required to change clothes.

“We’ve always had some of those type of shirts being worn in class, but ours have not been the more aggressive type,” she said. “Even if the student says that it doesn’t mean a certain thing, if it seems like it does to a teacher or administrator, they are asked to change.”

Smith said students seem to support the policy.

“Every once in a while, they have a little bit of a problem with it, but when we explain it to them, they take it pretty much in stride,” she said.