l BEFORE THE TEACHER STANDARDS AND PRACTICES COMMISSION

2 OF THE STATE OF OREGON

3

4 In the Matter of the ) DEFAULT ORDER OF

5 Educator License of ) REVOCATION AND

6 ) REVOCATION OF RIGHT

7 MATTHEW TODD LOVE ) TO APPLY FOR LICENSURE

8

9 On March 27, 2017, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission
10 (Commission) issued a Notice of Opportunity for Hearing to Matthew Todd Love (Love)
11 in which the Commission charged him with Gross Neglect of Duty and Gross Unﬁtness.
12 The Notice was sent via U.S. First Class Mail and U.S. Certiﬁed Mail Receipt 7016 0750
l3 0000 2419 0938 to the address on ﬁle with the Commission. The Notice designated the
14 Commission ﬁle as the record for purposes of proving a prima facie case. The Certiﬁed
15 Mail was returned unclaimed to the Commission on May 17, 2017. The regular ﬁrst class
16 mail was not returned to the Commission. The Notice of Opportunity of Hearing, dated
17 March 27, 2017, and signed by Monica Beane, Executive Director, stated:
18 “IF A REQUEST FOR HEARING IS NOT RECEIVED WITHIN THIS 21-DAY
19 PERIOD, YOUR RIGHT TO A HEARING SHALL BE CONSIDERED WAIVED
20 UNLESS YOUR FAILURE TO REQUEST A HEARING WAS BEYOND YOUR
21 REASONABLE CONTROL. IF YOU DO NOT REQUEST A HEARING OR IF
22 YOU FAIL TO APPEAR AT A HEARING, THE COMMISSION WILL ADOPT AN
23 ORDER OF DEFAULT WHICH MAY INCLUDE THE REVOCATION OR
24 SUSPENSION OF YOUR LICENSE OR OTHER DISCIPLINE.”
25
26 Love did not request a hearing. The Commission, therefore, ﬁnds Love to be in default
27 and enters the following ﬁndings of fact, conclusions 0f law, and ﬁnal order, based on
28 the ﬁles and records of the Commission concerning this matter.
29 FINDINGS OF FACT
30 1. Matthew Todd Love has been licensed by the Commission since July 18, 1988.
31 Love’s Standard Teaching License, with endorsements in Basic Language Arts (020)
32 and Standard Social Studies (020), was valid from March 11, 2012, through March
33 10, 2017. During all relevant times, Love was employed by the Astoria School
34 District.
35 2. On or about May 2o, 2016, the Commission received a report from the Oregon
36 Department of Humans Services (DHS) indicating Love was the subject of an abuse
37 report from a minor aged female student 0f another school district. Subsequent

PAGE 1-DEFAULT ORDER OF REVOCATION AND REVOCATION OF RIGHT TO APPLY FOR LICENSURE -
MATTHEW TODD LOVE

1 DHS, law enforcement, and Commission investigations determined that on or about
2 May 14, 2016, Love had communicated with the student via Facebook messenger
3 where Love professed his love for the student and attempted t0 induce the student to
4 have sex with him.
5 3. On July 25, 2016, the Clatsop County Circuit Court issued an indictment, charging
6 Love with one count of Luring a Minor, ORS 167.057, a class “C” felony, and Ofﬁcial
7 Misconduct in the First Degree, ORS 162.415 a class “A” misdemeanor. On January
8 13, 2017, as part of a plea agreement, Love was convicted of Luring a Minor, ORS
9 167.057, a class “C” felony. Love was sentenced, in part, to 30 days in jail; 24 months
10 of probation supervision; required to register as a sex offender; and to forfeit his
11 teaching certiﬁcate permanently. On February 14, 2017, Love notiﬁed the
12 Commission that he was surrendering his teaching license and would not be
13 requesting a hearing related to his case.
14 4. Love’s criminal charges and subsequent convictions arose from allegations that on or
15 about May 14, 2016, Love had communicated with a student via Facebook messenger
16 where Love professed his love 0f the student and attempted to induce the student to
17 have sex with him. The involved student, AG, was a female student of the Oregon
18 City School District and under the age of eighteen years. AG had previously been
19 L0ve’s student while she had been attending Newport High School several years
20 prior.
2l
22 CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
23 Matthew Todd Love’s criminal convictions constitute gross neglect of duty in
24 violation of ORS 342.175(1)(b); OAR 584-020-0040(4)(n) as it incorporates OAR 584-
25 020-0010(5) (Use professional judgment); and OAR 584-020-0040(1) (The
26 Commission will deny, revoke or deny the right to apply for a license or charter school
27 registration to any applicant or educator who, has been convicted 0f any of the crimes
28 listed in ORS 342.143, or the substantial equivalent of any of those crimes if convicted
29 in another jurisdiction), including OAR 584-o2o-oo4o(1) (pp) (ORS 167.057 —Luring a
30 Minor). This conduct also constitutes gross unfitness in violation of ORS 342.175(1)(c);
31 OAR 584-020-0040(5)(c) (Conviction of violating any federal, state, or local law. A
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MATTHEW TODD LOVE

1 conviction includes any ﬁnal judgment of conviction by a court whether as the result of
2 guilty plea, no contest plea or any other means); OAR 584-020-0040(5)(d)
3 (Commission of an act listed in OAR 584-02o-oo4o(1)); and OAR 584-020-0040(5)(e)
4 (Admission of or engaging in acts constituting criminal conduct, even in the absence of
5 a conviction).
6
7 Pursuant to ORS 342.175(3) and OAR 584-020-0040(1) the Teacher Standards
8 and Practices Commission must revoke Love's license and Love’s right to apply for a
9 license based on conviction of any of the crimes listed in ORS 342.143(3)(a), or the
10 substantial equivalent of any of those crimes.
l l
12 Furthermore, the conduct underlying L0ve’s indictments and convictions
13 constitutes gross neglect of duty in violation of ORS 342.175(1)(b); OAR 584-020-
14 oo4o(4)(n) as it incorporates OAR 584-020-001o(5) (Use professional judgment); OAR
15 584-02o-oo4o(4)(k)( Violation of any rule or order of the Commission); OAR 584-
16 o2o-oo4o(4)(t) (Any sexual conduct with a student) as deﬁned by OAR 584-020-
17 0005(5); OAR 584-020-0040(4)(o) as it incorporates OAR 584-020-0035(1)(c)(D)
18 (Honoring appropriate adult boundaries with students in conduct and conversations
19 at all times); and OAR 584-020-0035(3)(a)(Maintain the dignity of the profession by
20 respecting and obeying the law, exemplifying personal integrity and honesty).
21 Additionally, your conviction and conduct related to your conviction constitute “gross
22 unﬁtness” in violation of ORS 342.175(1)(c); OAR 584-o2o-oo4o(3)(c) and (d) as
23 deﬁned by OAR 584-020-0040 (5) (Gross unfitness is any conduct which renders an
24 educator unqualiﬁed to perform his 0r her professional responsibilities).
25
26 The Commission’s authority to impose discipline in this matter is based upon ORS
27 342.175.
28 FINAL ORDER
29 The Commission hereby revokes Matthew Todd Love's Oregon educator license
30 and his right to apply for an Ortﬁon educator license.
31 IT rs so ORDERED THIS _8_'day of June, 2017.
PAGE 3-DEFAULT ORDER OF REVOCATION AND REVOCATION OF RIGHT TO APPLY FOR LICENSURE -
MATTHEW TODD LOVE

l TEACHER STANDARDS AND PRACTICES COMMISSION
2
3 Wm M
4 By:
5 Dr. Monica Beane, Executive Director
6
7
8
9 NOTICE OF APPEAL OR RIGHTS
10
1 1 YOU ARE ENTITLED TO JUDICIAL REVIEW OF THIS ORDER. JUDICIAL REVIEW MAY
l2 BE OBTAINED BY FILING A PETITION FOR REVIEW WITHIN 60 DAYS FROM THE
l3 SERVICE OF THIS ORDER. JUDICIAL REVIEW IS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF
14 ORS 183.482 TO THE OREGON COURT OF APPEALS.
PAGE 4-DEFAULT ORDER OF REVOCATION AND REVOCATION 0F RlGHT TO APPLY FOR LICENSURE -
MATTHEW TODD LOVE