Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — A Senate subcommittee has advanced a bill that’s a response to the case of Ian Roberts, the former Des Moines Superintendent who was arrested by immigration agents in September and has pleaded guilty to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen — and the Senator that represents the Sheldon area has weighed in.
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners granted Roberts a professional license in 2023. The bill says applicants for teaching and administrative positions in Iowa schools must provide proof to the state’s licensing board and the local school board that they are lawfully present AND authorized to work in the United States. Groups representing school boards and school administrators are suggesting the bill solely require proof that a person is authorized to work in the U.S., since that’s the standard Iowa schools are using based on federal requirements. Senator Lynn Evans, a Republican from Aurelia, says the bill would make state law stronger.
In October, Governor Reynolds issued an executive order requiring state agencies to use federal databases to verify the citizenship and immigration status of job applicants. The bill requires those checks for the initial application for a teacher’s or administrator’s license AND for renewing that state license.
