Recent events at Narraguagus High School provide an interesting example of how difficult it is for school officials to do their jobs or even to identify what their jobs are. Though there may be community support for the school’s punishment of partying students, the lesson from protesting parents will be long-lasting.

SAD 37’s school board took extracurricular activity privileges away for the year from 33 Narraguagus High School students last month because they were found to have attended a drinking party. While a couple of parents of the punished students agreed with the decision, the overwhelming majority apparently did not. At a special meeting this week at the Harrington school, they made their displeasure known.

When a tragedy occurs at a school, say a horrific act like a shooting, the immediate public opinion found in coffee shops and letters to the editor across the land is that the problem is with schools. Schools don’t set tough rules for students. Or they do not teach that there will consequences for misdeeds. Or any type of behavior, however amoral or immoral, will be tolerated.

So here is a school board that decides to treat these issues seriously. Not by infringing on students’ educations and not by trying to limit the amount of fun and frolic the students have on their own time, but by excluding these students from some of the rewards of high-school life — the extracurricula clubs, dances and teams. Parents, naturally, rallied around the board and thanked its members for acting to defend society’s values.

No, of course they didn’t. They got mad; they accused the board of overstepping its authority. Some of them got a lawyer. They demanded the board back off its decision. What sort of message does this send to students?

Though a connection between the two events hasn’t been proved, the message someone spray-painted on the front door of the school said it clearly enough: Boom — 10 a.m. — Beware — Boom. It says it’s OK to act out when a school enforces its rules. It’s OK to threaten school personnel if they have done something you don’t like.

A committee has been formed to consider ways that students could earn back some of their lost privileges and its conclusions will be heard by the board next week. Part of the committee’s job will be to explain why a standard that has been in place for athletes should not apply to members of certain school-based clubs; that is, why these students deserve special treatment.

Many parents discovered at the meeting Tuesday that students represent the school not only when they are in classes or on the playing field but are ambassadors for Narraguagus at all times. The school’s principal, Peter Doak, takes an even broader view for the need to hold students to standards. `It’s about citizenship,” he said. He’s right.