October 2, 2025
Iowa Superintendent Detained By ICE Hired Despite Falsified Morgan State Doctorate, Report Reveals
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.
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. In a statement, the board labeled itself a victim of Roberts’ deceit, saying he provided a resume to a consulting firm claiming he had earned his doctorate, but later, the same firm flagged that it wasn’t true. “The Des Moines School Board is also a victim of deception by Dr. Roberts, one on a growing list that includes our students and teachers, our parents and community, our elected officials and Iowa’s Board of Educational Examiners, and others,” board Chair Jackie Norris said.
According to the Des Moines Register, the Guyana native has long ties to Baltimore, receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Coppin State University, another HBCU, in 1998. While studying criminology, Roberts was also a stellar track star, setting conference records in track and field and earning All-American honors. He later participated in the 2000 Olympic Games for his home country.
Des Moines Public Schools highlighted his athletic achievements in a 2024 article on his induction into the Coppin State University Athletics Hall of Fame. “Roberts excelled academically and… completed education programs at Coppin, St. John’s, Morgan State, Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, and an MBA at MIT’s Sloan School of Management,” the article read.
Roberts pushed the narrative of his false doctorate in his 2009 self-published book, “Prisoners or Presidents: The Simple Things That Change Everything; When Principals Lead Like Lives Depend on It.”
Things unraveled after Roberts was detained after an immigration judge ordered his removal in May 2024, just one year after he was hired as the first Black person to oversee Iowa’s largest school district. More trouble came about for Roberts when Homeland Security agents found a loaded gun in his car following his recent arrest.
The federal Gun Control Act labels it unlawful for “illegal aliens” to ship, transport, receive, or even possess firearms or ammunition.
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