DeeDee, I agree with your assessment (my comment was intended to be a little tongue in cheek). However I don't think the hypothesis requires a conspiracy so much as a lot of complacency. If someone in the chain knows that the person above them is much more negative about those requests, it's easier and less confrontational to simply smile and nod and agree with what the parent says, or to offer lots of nice sounding prizes, knowing full well that it won't happen anyway. After all why should the teacher have to be the bad guy, when the principle will do it for them (or substitute "principal" and "district")?
