TWIN LAKES — A drive to recall Lakewood School Board President Steve Dunn will move forward after recall petitions were submitted to the district.

The school confirmed the petitions were submitted Friday.

One of the leaders of the recall drive, former board member Paul Chodak, said eight to 10 people circulated the petitions, collecting 182 signatures. To force a recall election, 137 signatures were required.

Under the statutory rules, Dunn will now have 10 days to challenge the petition or its signatures. The petitioners also would be given five days to respond to any challenge.

If there is no challenge, or if a challenge is denied, the school board will set a recall election on the sixth Tuesday following the petition being deemed sufficient. That would put the election in March.

“I certainly have every intention of defending my actions against the recall,” Dunn said. “I will conduct myself in the best interests of the students and the district.”

Dunn has been a member of the Lakewood board for 15 years. He has become the focus of some residents’ ire since last fall when Dunn began to spend increasing hours at the school during the day. They also were unhappy that Dunn set up committees that critics said circumvented Administrator Rebecca Vail.

“The hierarchy of authority is all scattered now as to who is the boss, who is in charge and who is running the show,” Chodak said in January when the recall drive began. “Sides are being formed, and tension is building. The whole atmosphere has just been turned upside down at school.”

In the election, voters would be able to choose to re-elect Dunn, or to elect a challenger in his place.

Candidates other than Dunn will be required to file nomination papers by March 2.

Chodak said he does not plan to run in the election. He said there are candidates interested in challenging Dunn.