Tuesday night’s decision followed an executive session on disciplining an employee. Koehler was charged last week with one count each of pandering obscenity involving a minor and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, according to court records.
Credit: Kettering City Jail
Credit: Kettering City Jail
Kettering schools placed Koehler on paid administrative leave Nov. 20, district records show. After his Dec. 6 arrest, Koehler’s pay was suspended by Superintendent Mindy McCarty-Stewart.
“There is no question that it is an extremely serious and troubling set of circumstances,” Kettering board President Toby Henderson said.
“The district will take all legal action related to Mr. Koehler’s employment as swiftly and strongly as we can and as the law permits,” Henderson added.
But “there is a clearly defined legal process that the board … must follow as it relates to our employees,” he said.
“The district has been in close consultation with legal counsel throughout this entire process and will remain in close consultation with legal counsel to make sure that we are guided appropriately and in accordance with the laws that we have to comply with,” Henderson added.
Montgomery County Jail records indicate Koehler was released Friday after bond had been set at $50,000.
This news organization has reached out to Koehler for comment. Messages left with him on Wednesday were not immediately returned. It is not clear whether he has an attorney.
Koehler’s arrest is part of a Kettering police ongoing investigation that started last month after a former student contacted the school district about receiving inappropriate messages from Koehler, Kettering Chief Chip Protsman said.
The former student also contacted police and, accompanied by a Van Buren Middle School counselor, filed a report.
The former student, a Kettering graduate, alleged Koehler inappropriately touched them while they were in middle school and that Koehler still had contact with them after graduating, the police report states.
The former student, now an adult, said they were touched in the “buttock area inappropriately” by Koehler, according to police records.
On Nov. 22 a detective interviewed Koehler as part of the investigation. Koehler gave his phone to police and gave them permission to extract data, according to court documents.
Two videos involving minors were found during the data extraction. One included a child younger than 13, according to an affidavit.
The former student who filed the report “reiterated multiple times” that they “did not want to be the reason Matthew lost his job or was potentially criminally charged,” the police report states. They “simply wanted (the) story documented in an attempt to validate other students that might be experiencing the very same inappropriate behavior” by a Kettering teacher.
Koehler has been employed by Kettering schools since the summer of 2012, according to district records obtained through a public records request.
He was charged with an OVI in April of that year, but has received above average or better evaluations since being hired, Kettering school records show.
Koehler was awarded several supplemental contracts to lead or assist in the direction of a variety of extra-curricular music groups dating back to 2012, working primarily at Fairmont High School, his personnel file states.
Protsman and school district officials encouraged any potential victims or anyone with information on inappropriate or illegal actions by Koehler to call detective Kevin McGuire at 937-296-2597.
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