SAN ANTONIO – A former teacher at a North Side charter school is facing a felony charge after authorities say he sent threatening messages about his former campus, raising concerns among parents and staff.
Brian Joseph Ciaravino, 50, was arrested March 31 and charged with making terroristic threats against public servants, a third-degree felony, according to Bexar County court records. The charge stems from alleged threats directed at the BASIS San Antonio Primary North Central Campus.
According to an arrest affidavit, the San Antonio Police Department was called to the campus on March 30 after staff reported receiving multiple threatening text messages from a number believed to belong to Ciaravino.
Police said at least six messages were reviewed, including statements such as, “I’m killing everyone in there but the kids and you,” along with references to someone being shot. Investigators believe Ciaravino sent those messages after mentioning failing a breathalyzer test.
Staff members who received the texts told officers they feared for their safety and appeared visibly shaken, according to the affidavit.
The charter school sent KSAT the following statement:
“The individual is a former employee, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement to support their investigation and the continued safety of our school community.”
The allegations have unsettled families with children at the school, some of whom said the situation has been difficult to process given Ciaravino’s prior role as an educator.
“It’s been really upsetting for my child because he has such a positive view of him,” one parent said, who did not want to be identified.
The same parent said the news has shaken confidence in the school environment.
“I really like all the staff and teachers here, so I can’t imagine how that feels for them,” the parent said. “It is really upsetting to know that someone with that thought process was working directly with children.”
Bexar County jail records show Ciaravino’s bond was set at $50,000, which he posted before being released from custody. He is scheduled to make his next pre-indictment court appearance on June 9.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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