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The Des Moines Public Schools board has accepted the resignation of a superintendent after state and federal officials said he lacked both a valid Iowa license and authorization to work in the United States.
The board voted 7–0 Tuesday night to accept Superintendent Ian Roberts’ resignation, with one board member wiping away tears as she read a statement in Spanish.
“Friday morning, everything changed for all of us, including Dr. Roberts,” school board chair Jackie Norris said during the meeting.
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“The individual who was leading our district with energy and enthusiasm was detained by ICE agents. Since that time, this district, the Iowa Department of Education, the Department of Homeland Security and others have learned that his citizenship and status and eligibility to work in the United States is not what we were led to believe.”
“New details have led to more questions, really important questions for all of us… It is a sad and troubling end for an individual who gave many people, especially our students, hope.”
Norris said Roberts was given the opportunity through his attorney to provide further information it requested.
“Instead, he submitted a letter of resignation through his attorney,” Norris said.
Board member Maria Alonzo read the statement in Spanish, pausing several times, removing her glasses and wiping away tears before the vote.
Roberts, 54, was hired in July 2023 to lead the district, which serves more than 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees.
He was arrested Friday after allegedly driving away from law enforcement, abandoning his car in the woods and being located by Iowa State Patrol, according to authorities. ICE said he was taken into custody because he had “a final order of removal and no work authorization.”
He was also found in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 in cash and a fixed-blade hunting knife, authorities said.
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The district said Roberts completed an I-9 to prove legal status, but it was handled by a third-party firm and did not uncover the removal order, according to The Associated Press. ICE says Roberts entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999 and had a 2020 weapons charge.
Norris, who previously served as chief of staff to then-first lady Michelle Obama, was asked how the saga could affect her Senate run.
“I love my volunteer job as chair of the school board, and I have put everything down since Friday morning, since the minute this happened and focused on nothing but our students and our staff, and I will let the chips fall,” she said.
Norris was also asked about the DOJ investigation into the district’s hiring practices. Her response was brief, only saying: “We just received the letter this afternoon and so, I think we’re set to have a conversation next week to learn more.”
Norris supported Roberts in a statement on Friday in which she said that officials “do not have all the facts.”
“There is much we do not know,” Norris said. “However, what we do know is that Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of our school community since he joined over two years ago.”
Norris said earlier this week that Roberts joined the school district in July 2023 after having served in various school districts across the U.S. for “over 20 years.” Norris was not the chair of the school board at the time Roberts started, but she has been a member since 2021.
ICE alleges that Roberts is in the country illegally from Guyana. They say he is not legally permitted to work in the United States and had a final order of removal from a judge issued in May 2024.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the state legislature are also launching a probe into how the board chose Roberts in the first place.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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