Today’s parents tend to view their child’s private-independent school with a profound sense of ownership. Since they “make payments” to the institution, parents reason that their privileges should include making explicit demands on teachers, on administrators, on Trustees, and on the curriculum itself. If granted, some of the demands would alter educational and programmatic policy and practice; others would provide a de facto waiver for that parent’s own child in regard to school policies and practices. The obvious counterweight should be added: Parents are sometimes right. The extent and difficulty of a third-grade teacher’s homework assignments may, in fact, be out of line. An upper-school history teacher’s response to one student’s tardiness may have been extreme. Your middle-school physical education courses may be ill-conceived or poorly executed. The Lower School Director may unreasonably procrastinate in returning parents’ phone calls. The Board may, in fact, be uncommunicative or secretive as a matter of habit, rather than selectively (that is, for special cause).