Despite the Des Moines school board learning of the false claims on his 2023 application, Roberts was still hired for the position, leading a district with close to 30,000 students.
More drama has come to light regarding former Iowa Superintendent Ian Roberts, as documents show he was hired after the school board learned that he had lied about receiving his doctorate from Morgan State University, The Washington Post reports.
Roberts made headlines late September 2025 after resigning from his post as Des Moines’ superintendent of schools following being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) agents. After authorities found he was living and working in the U.S. illegally, it was also revealed that he lied about receiving a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University, an HBCU in Baltimore, in 2007. But school officials clarified that he never received the degree, but was just enrolled between 2002 and 2007…