Iowa’s largest school district has filed a lawsuit against the firm it paid to find its top leader, accusing the company of failing to properly screen former superintendent Ian Roberts, who was detained by immigration authorities last week.
Des Moines Public Schools said in its complaint that JG Consulting, the Texas-based firm it hired in 2022 to lead the superintendent search, breached its contract and acted negligently in recommending Roberts. The district hired him the following year based on the firm’s shortlist of finalists.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Roberts, a native of Guyana, was living in the United States unlawfully and lacked authorization to work. Federal prosecutors later charged him with possessing four firearms while in the country illegally, including one wrapped in a towel inside his Jeep Cherokee when agents stopped him, according to court filings…