Irv Nikolai resigned as superintendent of schools in La Grande hours after he was arrested on charges of sexual abuse of a 7-year-old girl.

Irvin Nikolai as shown in a photo on the La Grande School District's Web site.

The La Grande Observer reported that 71-year-old Nikolai submitted his resignation by phone hours after he was arrested Friday on charges of touching the girl at a birthday party in Hillsboro.

He was serving as interim superintendent and was scheduled to leave office in June.

School board chairman John McKinnon said an acting superintendent will be named next week.

Nikolai is from Forest Grove. He was being held in La Grande on $1 million bail and was expected to be transferred later to the Washington County jail in Hillsboro.