Taking (but not taking) signs

[BoomerSooner]

I've noticed in my son's baseball games that many pitchers have been taught to straddle the pitcher's plate until they are ready to pitch if there are runners on base. Based on watching what follows, my belief is that this is being done to help them manage runners taking a lead without the potential for a balk. When the pitcher decides he's going to pitch, he moves his pivot foot forward in contact with the pitcher's plate and then relatively quickly gets set and pitches. It isn't so quick that the batter isn't prepared, and thus I don't I think a quick pitch is warranted, so that isn't my issue. Where I'm bothered by this is that the pitchers that have been taught to do this will look at the catcher prior to contacting the plate and then wait for a runner to take a lead and then throw over to first or fake a throw hoping another runner will break for the next base. When I've asked why this is being allowed I've been told that there can't be a balk because the pitcher isn't touching his plate. When I asked about the requirement to take signs while in contact with the pitcher's plate, the response I get is that the catcher isn't giving signs so the pitcher isn't taking signs and that rule doesn't apply.

To me this is clearly an attempt to deceive the base runner(s) outside of the spirit of the rules, but coaches are using the fact that at 13 years old the kids aren't taking signs from the catcher as a loop hole. I don't have an issue with straddling the pitcher's plate prior to stepping into position if the pitcher is looking a runner back, attempting to make a play on him, or just collecting his thoughts, but once you start looking at the catcher, signs or not, I feel like the intent of the rule is being violated. This is something relatively new to me as this is the first year my son has played with runners being able to lead off of all bases, and I haven't seen this tactic in older age groups that I umpire.

Am I missing something here or should this be handled differently? I also realize the offense could put this to a halt by asking for Time making the ball dead until play is resumed which requires the pitcher to take his place on the pitcher's plate, but I think that would slow the game down significantly.