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The Des Moines Public Schools scandal that exploded into national headlines this week is a textbook example of institutional failure. On Sept. 26, 2025 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Superintendent Ian Roberts under a final removal order, and Roberts submitted his resignation on Sept. 30, 2025 after the state revoked his license. What followed was the ugly revelation that Roberts had falsely claimed a doctorate from Morgan State on his 2023 application and that the district pressed ahead with his hire even after a consultant’s background check flagged the discrepancy.
This was not an honest mistake; it was a systemic collapse of basic vetting and common sense. The school board knew Roberts hadn’t completed the Morgan State doctorate, yet moved forward — putting politics and optics ahead of kids’ safety and taxpayer trust. Parents who send their children to school expecting competent leadership deserve better than a hiring process that would be laughably negligent in the private sector.
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson rightly demanded the resignation of the school board chair on national television, calling for accountability from those who elevated a man now accused of misrepresentations and living in the country illegally. If school boards are going to play political games with leadership picks, they must be held personally responsible when those choices put students and staff at risk. Americans should expect leaders who vet credentials, not protect them.
This story also exposes the dangerous intersection of porous immigration enforcement and woke personnel decisions. Roberts was reportedly living in the U.S. without authorization, had a prior settlement and other red flags on his record, and authorities say a loaded handgun was found during the arrest — all details that scream for better scrutiny. When bureaucracies prioritize diversity theatre or progressive narratives over straightforward legal and safety checks, communities pay the price.
Local officials and state education boards must institute real reforms immediately: independent audits of hiring practices, verified credential checks, and transparent disclosures to the public when red flags arise. There should be no secret settlements or nondisclosure deals that hide past misconduct; one $250,000 payout in Pennsylvania should have been another reason to press pause on his elevation to superintendent.
Democrats who running school districts into the ground will try to spin this as a marginal error or an attack on diversity. Don’t buy it. This is about competence, lawfulness, and the safety of our children — issues that transcend party labels and deserve swift, unapologetic correction by local voters and officials.
Hardworking Iowans and parents across the nation should demand answers and see consequences. If school boards won’t clean house themselves, citizens must do it at the ballot box and through persistent oversight. America’s schools should be sanctuaries of learning, not havens for political theater and complete incompetency.
