Teacher support with discipline

Can someone reply as to how their discipline is handled in their school. For some reason, sending a student to the office is entirely frowned upon in our school. The attitude is "what, you can't handle that yourself?" or "well, why don't you call the parent it'll be good PR" It gets frustrating when they older kids in the school have figured out the system and aren't affraid of anything. Maybe that's why there's already been food fights...isn't that saved for the last week of school?? Teachers should never feel that the kids are getting out of control, especially at the end of FIRST MARKING PERIOD!