A teacher in the Knappa School District tested positive for the coronavirus.

The longtime Knappa High School wrestling coach and two of his assistants resigned on Wednesday after what the school district superintendent described as “unfortunate incidents” during the team’s trip to Redmond this month.

Coach Dan Owings, assistant coach Scott Whitworth and assistant volunteer Mike Posey stepped down effective immediately. Kirk Miller, the school’s athletic director, will lead the wrestling team for the rest of the season.

Superintendent Paulette Johnson declined to publicly detail the incidents.

Nathan Truax, a 21-year-old volunteer coach, was charged with second-degree sex abuse, third-degree rape and third-degree sodomy after allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl on the wrestling team during the Redmond trip. The sex abuse charge is based on Truax being her coach and the alleged victim being underage and unable to consent to sex. The rape and sodomy charges are based on allegedly having sex with a victim under 16.

“This is a sad and traumatic situation for our school community and our community at large,” Johnson wrote in a statement. “The district is committed to making the situation better for students, chaperones, and adults who take future trips by implementing new policies and procedures.”

Owings said this is not the way he wanted to end his career after more than 30 years as Knappa’s wrestling coach. He called the situation “heartbreaking.”

“The three of us that resigned … we didn’t do anything wrong. In hindsight, there’s things we would have done to prevent the situation, but that’s hindsight,” Owings said without elaborating.

The wrestling coaches were placed on leave after the allegations against Truax surfaced. Owings and Whitworth were paid coaches, while Posey and Truax were volunteers.

Truax, who was suspended as coach, will not return, Johnson said.

The school district has also learned that Truax did not undergo a background check, which is a requirement for anyone who works with students at the school. “We thought one was done,” Johnson said.

Before the resignations were announced, many in the community spoke in support of Owings at a school board meeting Monday night and urged the school district to keep him on as coach. Former students and wrestlers described how Owings was an important and formative part of their high school years.

“That man does nothing but provide an outlet for so many students in the community for so many years. He’s a man worth his word,” said Gary Newberry, a coach for Knappa Kids Wrestling. “The support he has behind him speaks volumes to what kind of person he is.”

Parents and coaches said the school district should have clearer guidance for managing behavior on overnight trips.

Aaron Barendse, the Knappa football coach, said while some things “are obvious,” it’s troublesome and nerve-wracking to go on trips and feel like the responsibility for what happens falls entirely on him.

“As a coach, I don’t think I’ve had any formal, sit-down training,” he said.

Johnson presented the school board on Monday with a draft policy outlining expectations for field trips and overnight trips.

“We want to continue the program,” Johnson said of the wrestling team. “We want to make it the best we can for kids, so we’re going to do everything we can.”