Brad Wright resigned Sunday, Sept. 6, as board chairman of El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. Wright had led the board since 2020 and faced weeks of community pressure over three coaches placed on administrative leave.

A second, unnamed board member also resigned the same day, the Los Angeles Times reported. Wright's departure takes effect Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The dual exits leave the 3,046-student charter school's governing board short-handed at a critical moment. An emergency board meeting could come as early as Wednesday, Sept. 9, with the board responsible for recommending next steps on the coaches to interim executive director Emilie Larew.

Baseball coach Josh Lienhard, girls soccer coach Eric Choi and tennis coach Jason Grider were placed on administrative leave over allegations of possible fraud tied to CPR and first-aid certifications that did not appear in a Red Cross database, according to a person with knowledge of the probe not authorized to discuss it publicly.

All three have since retaken the class.

Lienhard, also a P.E. teacher, was escorted off campus on Aug. 13. The investigation is believed to be nearing a conclusion because all three coaches have been interviewed.

Assistant baseball coach Chad Boyd said he and Lienhard took the online CPR class last year, received their cards and were cleared by athletic director Richard Russell to coach. The certificate lasts two years.

"It's a step forward for the school to get back on the right path," Boyd told the Times. "The job is not done. We need the coaches back."

Two recent board meetings drew packed crowds of parents, students and community members demanding the coaches' reinstatement. A Change.org petition calling for Wright's removal had collected more than 1,000 signatures by Sunday, the LA Daily News reported.

Javier Alvarez, a Woodland Hills resident whose daughter Emilia plays girls soccer for Choi, signed the petition and attended an Aug. 20 board meeting. He told the Daily News the turnout of parents and students who spoke up "definitely inspired me to keep more of an eye out as to what's going on …"

The turmoil at El Camino Real stretches back to the summer, when 10-year executive director David Hussey was ousted. Teachers and parents have described the atmosphere as "chaos" and a "soap opera," according to the Times. Representatives of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) have been investigating the school's finances. The school is now advertising for a new executive director.

Wright, a former UCLA basketball player who played professionally for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, described his board role as voluntary and unpaid. In his resignation statement, he said the community had called for change and new leadership and that he was stepping aside so the reconstituted board could choose someone to continue serving the school.

The board also faces a charter renewal process, a task Hussey had been heavily involved in before his departure. No official agenda or notice for the potential emergency meeting has been confirmed.