I Can See the Future: A Report From the Pig

My school district is so afraid of parents that they don't actually make or enforce rules. Despite the fact that I don't have a door to my classroom, parents are permitted to walk about the halls at any time of day and have conversations with one another just outside my teaching space. They have cell phone conversations and demonstrate their "cool" (Spice Girl-esque) ringtones to one another.
Say, speaking of cell phones, the students are allowed to have them in the building, on their person, turned on during class. This rule applies to kindergarteners through seniors. Yes, the phones are excessively disruptive. Yes, the phones cause theft, fighting, and rampant cheating. And, yes, one would think that an elementary school student has no need for a cellular device. Alas! All of this can be overlooked so that we do not anger any parents in the district. Heaven forbid! You know that they could sue you if they aren't able to reach their child instantly, nevermind the fact that they are, um, IN SCHOOL!
Most districts have strictly enforced dress codes or even uniforms. If you don't want your child to be scarred by the experience of a uniform or of - gasp! - having to tuck in their shirttail or cover their gams, then I invite you to my district. Here, children can wear crop tops, baggy pants, multi-colored hair, creative piercings, low cut cleavage-y shirts, and bedroom slippers. Oh, did I mention that I'm talking about 4th graders?
I fail to understand who it is that is so afraid of parents that they avoid making rules that might rock the boat, but I feel certain that this cannot bode well for the future of these children. Just a hunch.