In my classroom, I use a system of warnings and consequences to let students know they are breaking rules we agreed upon in the beginning of the year. The steps are as follows...
I believe students should be sent to the school principal or AP only as a last resort. I do believe there are certain situations that office administrators need to handle and at that time, I will skip straight to step five and create an office referral for the student. However in most cases with misbehavior, I will usually wait until as long as possible before speaking with the principal or AP.