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Dive brief:
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The Iowa Department of Education and the state Board of Education Examiners are under scrutiny after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts last month on suspicion of being in and working in the country illegally.
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The state auditor will review the entities’ licensing and background check procedures, as well as audit Iowa’s Des Moines public schools, according to information shared with K-12 Dive by the state auditor’s office.
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Meanwhile, the state’s largest school district announced earlier this month that it had filed a lawsuit JG Consulting, the search firm the Des Moines school board tapped to help with the 2022-2023 superintendent search, facilitated Roberts’ 2023 hiring.
Diving Insight:
Roberts’ arrest by ICE on September 26. is one of the most vocal concerns of the K-12 sector, stemming from the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which has affected and even transformed school communities across the country. daily activities of schools in some places like Chicago. Roberts has served as an educator and school leader in the United States for more than two decades Des Moines School District.
Concerns from immigration enforcement officials have raised questions about hiring and vetting processes at the state and district levels.
The audit of the Iowa State Department of Education was launched after a request by state Sen. Tony Bisignano of Des Moines, who on Oct. 22 told state auditor Rob Sands in a letter that Roberts’ arrest was “a road[s] serious concerns about the integrity and effectiveness of the board’s licensing processes.
“This incident shows a clear negligence and points to a possible failure in the background check protocol itself or in the implementation and review process,” Bisignano said, adding that the “public trust” rests on him.
Bisignano also asked that the board review the use of third-party contracts.
Since 2001 Roberts reapplied for a green card, also known as a permanent resident card, which was rejected by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to ICE. in 2019 he submitted employment authorization documents that expired in 2020. December 18 Until 2024 an immigration judge ordered Roberts deported.
Des Moines Public School District Sept. 30 said in the statement that Roberts listed himself as a U.S. citizen on his employment Form I-9 and that he provided a driver’s license and a Social Security card as two forms of identification. His arrest was also filed worries about his qualifications, which include a doctorate from Morgan State University in Maryland.
After his arrest, Roberts submitted a letter of resignation to the district through his attorney, which was accepted by the Des Moines School Board. His license to practice as a superintendent was revoked Iowa Board of Educational Examiners days after his arrest.
District on October 1 claimed in a statement that he was the “victim of a hoax” by Roberts.
The district’s lawsuit against JG Consulting alleges the company improperly vetted Roberts in violation of their contract and was negligent in representing Roberts as a suitable candidate for superintendent. The district is asking for an unspecified amount of damages, including costs related to the superintendent’s salary.
in 2023 The Des Moines school system paid Roberts a base salary of $270,000, according to district documents.
Des Moines Public Schools, like all other public school districts in Iowa, is required by law to conduct an annual audit, making the state-initiated audit a “re-audit” following Roberts’ arrest.
Based on October 3 Roberts was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals, ICE said in a statement. Court documents from US District Court for the Southern District of Iowa show that his court date is set for December 1st. and that he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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