Newberg teacher accused of giving alcohol to minor was JV football coach

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Newberg-Dundee Public Schools teacher who stands accused of giving alcohol to a 16-year-old girl was employed at Mountain View Middle School in Newberg, and served as Newberg High School’s junior varsity head football coach at the time of his arrest, police say.

The assistant to Newberg School District Interim Superintendent Dave Parker said that the district would not comment on 41-year-old Joshua Luciani’s employment with the school district, following his arrest. However, the Newberg-Dundee Police Department confirmed the details of Luciani’s employment with KOIN 6 on Thursday.

“In accordance with our policies and legal responsibilities, we have notified the Teachers Standards and Practices Commission as required,” Parker wrote in a statement shared with the school district community on Nov. 1. “Please understand that, due to privacy considerations of students and staff, we are limited in the details we can share.”

Although Luciani no longer works for the school district, the Newberg-Dundee Public Schools directory still lists him as an employee with Mountain View Middle School. Past records also show that the school board agreed to hire him on Feb. 12, 2024.

Luciani was arrested by Newberg-Dundee Police after they received a report from a concerned citizen on Oct. 28 about a teacher who gave alcohol to a 16-year-old girl. School resource officers investigated the report and Luciani was arrested for one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor, a class A misdemeanor. The investigation was referred to the Yamhill County District Attorney’s office for prosecution, police say.

“The incident did not take place on school property,” police said. “The Newberg-Dundee Police Department would like to thank the Newberg School District who cooperated fully during the police investigation.”