IOWA CITY, Iowa — A state agency revoked the professional license of the leader of Iowa’s largest school district on Monday, days after federal agents arrested him on accusations that he was living and working in the country illegally.
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners said in a letter to Des Moines public schools Superintendent Ian Roberts that he was ineligible to hold a license because “you no longer possess legal presence in the United States.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Roberts on Friday, saying he was subject to a final removal order that an immigration judge signed in May 2024. Roberts is a native of Guyana who entered the United States on a student visa in 1999, according to ICE. He’s being held at an Iowa jail.
ICE said that Roberts fled after a traffic stop in Des Moines, and that he was apprehended with the assistance of the Iowa State Patrol. The agency said that Roberts, 54, had possessed a loaded handgun in his district-issued vehicle, a hunting knife and $3,000 cash when arrested.
Des Moines school officials said they had known nothing about Roberts being in the country illegally. They said that he had signed a form verifying that he was a citizen when he was hired in 2023 and submitted a driver’s license and Social Security card to verify his eligibility.
The school board voted 6-0 Monday evening to put Roberts on unpaid leave from his job, which has an annual salary of $286,716. His contract, which the board had voted to extend in May through June 30, 2028, requires that he hold a 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.
