Sept. 30 (UPI) — Iowa formally revoked the license of the Des Moines schools superintendent who was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and switched his status from paid to unpaid leave.
The Des Moines Public School Board had placed Ian Roberts on paid administrative leave. Monday morning, it learned that the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners had revoked Roberts’ license to practice in the state, which meant that the local board had to put him on unpaid leave, retroactive to the state board’s decision, a press release said.
“New information and confirmed facts will continue to inform our decisions as we develop a path forward,” said Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines Public Schools Board. “Two things can be true at the same time – Dr. Roberts was an effective and well-respected leader and there are serious questions related to his citizenship and ability to legally perform his duties as superintendent.”
During a news conference later that day, attorney Alfredo Parrish said that Roberts had submitted his immediate resignation to the local school board, reported the Des Moines Register. Parrish said that Roberts, his client, does not want to be a distraction while he challenges efforts to deport him in court.
“He understands that he has the community’s support and it really gives him inspiration,” Parrish said. “His spirits are high.”
The Des Moines School Board is scheduled to discuss whether to terminate or accept Roberts’ resignation Tuesday evening.
Roberts was born in Guyana and came to the United States for college in 1999. He went on to get a Ph.D. and became a teacher and school administrator. He has worked in education for 20 years and had jobs in Maryland, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
He was arrested on Friday “in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed blade hunting knife,” an ICE press release said. It said when his car was approached by officers, he sped away. “Roberts has existing weapon possession charges from Feb. 5, 2020. Roberts entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May of 2024.”
The school board has asked for clarification from Roberts’ attorney by Tuesday afternoon. The district said Roberts filled out an I-9 form, said he was a citizen and provided two forms of verification: a driver’s license and a Social Security card.
“It still seems baffling to me how someone could be hired and their status not be legal in that process,” the Rev. Robyn Bles, who has a child in the district, told the New York Times. “The case that is being presented to us doesn’t stand up to the fact that he has been hired and worked in multiple districts and multiple states. So what’s going on in all of those places?”
Des Moines attorney Alfredo Parrish, whose firm is representing Roberts, told CNN he had spoken with Roberts via phone and said they had a good conversation and he sounded well. He declined to say more.
The school district said it will continue to share updates on any decisions made with families, staff and the public as information becomes available.