Teacher vetting under scrutiny as Ian Roberts' record unravels
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Former superintendent Ian Roberts was a key figure in the $265 million "Reimagining Education" bond referendum that Des Moines voters will decide on Nov. 4. Photo: Jon Lemons, courtesy of DMPS
A Pennsylvania school district is examining its legal options as parts of former Des Moines superintendent Ian Roberts' professional background remain unverified, challenged or disproven.
Why it matters: The issues at Millcreek Township School District — where Roberts served as superintendent for about three years before relocating to Iowa — indicate that background-check problems are more widespread than at Des Moines Public Schools.
- Both districts argue that he cleared FBI background checks and immigration employment eligibility verification before they hired him.
Catch up quick: Roberts, a native of Guyana, was hired by DMPS in July 2023, showcasing an impressive educational background and professional experience that the New York Times recently noted were too good to be true.
- Some of those qualifications have been debunked since his detainment by federal immigration agents on Sept. 26.
Zoom in: Roberts faces a federal charge of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, which law enforcement found at the time of his detainment.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said he has a criminal record that goes back almost three decades.
State of play: Roberts listed on an I-9 form before DMPS hired him that he was a U.S. citizen, district board chair Jackie Norris said last week in announcing the district was suing a national search firm that conducted its superintendent search.
- Millcreek officials said Roberts falsified his citizenship status on the form, and on Monday district officials instructed their legal team to investigate the possibility of suing Roberts and a separate national search firm that helped the district recruit him, according to the Erie Times-News.
Friction point: Roberts received his educational license through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners in 2023. His license was revoked just days after his detention.
Flashback: A 2016 Des Moines Register investigation found that Iowa's background checks allowed some educators with serious criminal convictions to slip through — and return to classrooms.
- State officials at that time said they'd resolved database issues that had failed to flag some employees.
The intrigue: Roberts' initial résumé to DMPS claimed he'd earned a doctoral degree from Morgan State University, a statement he also made at Millcreek, but that was not accurate, per the Register.
Yes, but: DMPS's search company flagged the inaccuracy, and the résumé was corrected before Roberts was hired.
- It was unclear whether the board was aware of the change before he was hired, according to the Register.
What they're saying: "We're reviewing all allegations at this point to determine their veracity," Brandon Brown, an attorney for Roberts, told Axios on Tuesday.
What we're watching: Whether Roberts' case leads to widespread changes in how school employee background searches are conducted, with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) among those calling for greater use of the national E-Verify system.