DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, who was detained last week by immigration agents, falsely claimed a doctoral degree when applying for the job two years ago but was hired even after the school board learned about the misrepresentation.
Ian Roberts, who immigration authorities say was living and working in the U.S. illegally and who resigned this week as Des Moines’ superintendent of schools, claimed in his 2023 application that he received a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.
Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctorate program from 2002 to 2007, the school’s public relations office confirmed in an email that he didn’t receive that degree. It declined to say which degree requirements he hadn’t met.
The Des Moines school board learned before hiring Roberts that he hadn’t received the degree, but it still chose him to lead the district, which serves about 30,000 students.
“As part of the background check process that was done at the time, it indicated that he did not complete -- he began but did not complete a degree from Morgan State,” district spokesman Phil Roeder told the AP. He and the board declined to comment further about how the information was handled at the time.
The background check was conducted by a third party and is not a public record, Roeder noted. Roberts, who is challenging the order to deport him to his native Guyana, remained jailed Wednesday in Sioux City, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines. When asked to comment on Roberts’ false application claim, his attorney, Alfredo Parrish, said he was looking into the matter and would discuss it with his client.
Roberts also falsely claimed a doctoral degree from “Trident American University” in his application. However, the board confirmed he did receive that degree from an institution called Trident University International.
Concerns Over Integrity Raised
Experts said that Roberts’ misleading resume should have raised red flags regarding his integrity. Sadika Jubo, a managing partner at a firm that provides educational judgments, remarked that such discrepancies would lead to questions about a candidate's moral character, especially when overseeing a large school district.
Roberts, previously a competitive athlete for Guyana in the Olympics, has two decades of experience in education and has utilized the doctorate title consistently. His biography showcased his educational history, misidentifying his degrees and omitting significant information.
As his immigration battle unfolds, Roberts remains under scrutiny, and the fallout from his previous claims continues to raise difficult questions about the hiring practices and oversight within the Des Moines school board.
