A national embarrassment for Des Moines schools

I can’t imagine what might be going through the minds of those on the Des Moines School Board. They were responsible for the hiring of Ian Roberts as superintendent.

In case you haven’t heard, Roberts is in the country illegally as an immigration judge ruled in 2024. A final order of removal from the country was issued. He had his day in court and was ordered to be removed from the country.

Without knowing the facts, Des Moines School Board Chair, Jackie Norris, defended him upon his arrest. She apparently spent as much time checking the circumstances of his apprehension before making that statement as the board did checking his background in the first place. It turns out that even his claim of a doctorate degree from Morgan State was not factual.

Some have already tried to frame this as an anti-ICE issue. That’s nonsense. Roberts knew he was in trouble. When he was pulled over by agents, he fled. He was pursued by state troopers with K9s, and caught hiding in the bushes. That is not the behavior of someone innocent or caught off guard.

Board Chair Norris urged others to take a page from Dr. Roberts’ (oops, not a doctor) book and engage in ‘radical empathy.’ It’s hard to empathize with any defense of such an inept decision to hire this man in the first place.

Frank Garfield

Hiawatha