(Texas Scorecard) – A Fort Worth Independent School District teacher and coach is accused of sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old female student while at his previous teaching job in Itasca ISD.
Adrian Buruato, 29, was arrested and charged with indecency with a child by sexual contact and improper relationship between educator and student.
Both are second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Buruato was a teacher and coach at Itasca ISD in 2023 when the alleged sexual assault occurred.
According to a statement from Itasca ISD Superintendent Tonya Harris, Buruato held the positions of head baseball coach, assistant football coach, and middle school social studies teacher from July 2023 to July 2024.
The superintendent stated that an investigation was initiated when the alleged victim made a complaint to the district’s school resource officer on March 10, after she received a text message from Buruato.
The girl reportedly told investigators that during football season in the Fall of 2023, she met with Buruato in an on-campus “ice room,” where he would grab and kiss her.
Harris said the district immediately notified the Hill County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Worth ISD, where Buruato is currently employed as a head baseball coach at O.D. Wyatt High School. He previously worked as an assistant baseball and football coach at Fort Worth ISD’s Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School.
Fort Worth ISD is closed for spring break and has not yet responded to a request for comment on Buruato’s current employment status.
Investigators who interviewed Buruato allege he admitted to inappropriately touching the girl, claiming he and the victim “mutually kissed.”
Buruato was booked into the Hill County Jail on March 12 and later released on a $300,000 bond—$150,000 for each charge.
Investigators are asking anyone with information on this case to call the Hill County Sheriff’s Office at 254-582-5313.
State records show Buruato was certified as a classroom teacher in July 2023. He was previously issued a one-year intern teaching certificate for physical education in April 2022 and a one-year emergency permit to teach secondary English in August 2022. His certifications are now under review by the Texas Education Agency.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas teachers have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children.