IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — On Monday, the professional license of the leader of Iowa’s largest school district was revoked by a state agency, following his arrest by federal agents under allegations of living and working in the U.S. illegally.
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners informed Des Moines public schools Superintendent Ian Roberts via letter that his license was revoked due to his lack of legal presence in the United States.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Roberts on Friday, noting he was under a final removal order signed by an immigration judge back in May 2024. Roberts, originally from Guyana, had entered the U.S. with a student visa in 1999. He is currently held at an Iowa jail.
According to ICE, Roberts fled a traffic stop in Des Moines but was later apprehended with the help of the Iowa State Patrol. At the time of his arrest, the 54-year-old had a loaded handgun, a hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash in his district-issued vehicle.
Des Moines school officials stated they were unaware of Roberts’ illegal status in the country. When he was hired in 2023, he had completed a form declaring his citizenship and provided a driver’s license and Social Security card for eligibility verification.
The school board unanimously voted 6-0 on Monday evening to place Roberts on unpaid leave from his position, which carries an annual salary of $286,716. His contract, extended by the board in May to run through June 30, 2028, required him to maintain state certification to serve as superintendent.
Board chair Jackie Norris said the district received notice Monday afternoon from the Department of Homeland Security that Roberts was unauthorized to work in the country, and a copy of the removal order issued by the Department of Justice.
Norris said the board would give Roberts’ attorney until noon on Tuesday to challenge those facts, and would otherwise move to fire him.
“We need to understand what happened and why,” she said.
Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
The district, which has more than 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees, has said Roberts was identified as a candidate for the job by a search firm and that a “comprehensive background check” was completed as part of the process.
The state board that granted Roberts a license to serve as superintendent said the process included background checks by the state police and FBI. The Iowa Department of Education said it was the school district’s responsibility to verify employees’ eligibility to work, and that it would investigate the district’s practices.
The arrest shocked a district where he was known as a frequent presence at community events and a champion of students during his two-year tenure. Roberts had been in education for the last two decades, and served as a superintendent in Pennsylvania before his hiring in Iowa.
The school board put Roberts on paid leave during a brief special meeting Saturday but decided to cut off his pay Monday evening after a closed session held for about 90 minutes. The board has appointed district administrator Matt Smith to serve as interim superintendent.
Norris said that Des Moines students had identified with Roberts “and the enthusiasm he brought to our classroom,” and were scared and concerned by his arrest. She called on critics to stop “the hateful rhetoric directed at our district” to minimize the impact to education.
Norris said district officials were shocked to learn that Roberts allegedly had a gun in a school vehicle, which would violate policy.
ICE said that it had asked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate how Roberts obtained the handgun. People in the country illegally are ineligible to possess firearms. Roberts had a history of gun ownership, however, and had been cited in 2021 in Pennsylvania and fined $100 for storing a loaded hunting rifle in his vehicle.
ICE has alleged that Roberts also had a separate, pending weapons charge dating to February 2020, but has not provided further details. ICE media representatives didn’t respond to inquiries about the claim Monday.
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican who represents the Des Moines area in Congress, wrote to ICE on Saturday requesting records related to the case. He said he was alarmed by the circumstances of the arrest.
“At the same time, it is important to our community to establish a clear, verifiable timeline and to confirm that ICE’s enforcement actions involving a senior public official were supported by proper documentation,” he wrote.
