Some Baltimore educators are stunned at the arrest of Dr. Ian Roberts, who was a teacher and principal in city schools for almost eight years in the early 2000s.
For the past two years, Dr. Roberts led public schools in Des Moines, Iowa, as superintendent.
Iowa education officials have since revoked his administrative certificate.
Respect in Baltimore
Veteran teacher Consquilla Carey knows Dr. Roberts well and was shocked when she learned of his arrest.
“My heart dropped. I said, ‘This can’t be right.’ Then, I was thinking it was some kind of mix-up,” Carey told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.
Carey said he went above and beyond as an educator and changed students’ lives.
“Students who had bad attendance ended up having good attendance,” Carey said. “Students who weren’t passing started passing. Students who would never have gone to college went to college.”
The two taught together at Forest Park High School in the early 2000s before Roberts became a principal at Friendship Academy of Science and Technology in Southeast Baltimore and recruited her to teach there.
That school has since closed.
Roberts is also a Coppin State University graduate and former Olympian in track and field.
“I don’t think anyone could have anything bad to say about him because he definitely exemplified what leadership is,” Carey said. “He encouraged teachers. He encouraged students. I feel like this was taken too far.”
Carey fears for his future.
“I am afraid because the things I’m seeing people post, things that are not even within his character,” Carey said. “I don’t know a lot about immigration or ICE, but what I do know is that minorities are being targeted.”.
Another former Baltimore colleague, Rysheem McGirt, posted on Facebook that Roberts was a father figure to him.
“The lessons he instilled discipline, hard work, and compassion continue to guide me today. He showed us what true leadership looks like being present, being accountable, and most of all, being human,” McGirt wrote. “To see a man who has dedicated his life to uplifting students, families, and entire communities go through this is devastating. His legacy as a mentor, father figure, and leader is something I will carry with me forever. I stand with Dr. Roberts, and I pray for his strength, protection, and a swift resolution to this injustice.”
In a 2003 video posted by Des Moines Public Schools, Roberts spoke about the challenges in Baltimore, including teaching Capone Chase, a Black Guerilla Family gang member, who became Baltimore’s most wanted criminal before being sentenced to life in prison a decade ago for murder.
“Capone Chase and the victim were two of my students,” Dr. Roberts recalled.
He told teachers in Iowa, “Capone, like many of the students you’ve taught in your career, was not only brilliant and full of potential, but he was born into circumstances over which he had zero control.”
In response to a request for comment about Roberts, a city schools spokesperson told WJZ, “lan Roberts was employed with Baltimore City Public Schools for a total of 7 years and 10 months between August 2001 and June 2010. He served as a teacher for five years, resident principal for one year and principal for two years.”
ICE arrest
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) alleged Roberts fled from them in Iowa last Friday while in possession of a loaded weapon.
ICE said he had a prior gun charge in 2020, and an immigration judge issued a final order of removal in May 2024.
Roberts, a native of Guyana, came to Coppin State University on a student visa.
The St. Paul ICE field office director, Sam Olson, wrote in a statement, “How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”
Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines school board, said a search firm conducted a background check before Dr. Roberts was hired, “which found nothing related to citizenship or immigration matters related to Dr. Roberts.”
Continuing support
Consquilla Carey said she will continue to back her former colleague.
“We can tell this to the world: Dr. Roberts is not a criminal. He’s an educator and a leader,” Carey said.
Carey said the allegations do not fit with the respected educator she knows.
“I’ve kept in touch with a lot of our students from Friendship Academy, and to this day, they still talk about Dr. Roberts,” Carey said. “They still talk about how he made an impact in their life. They have had a lot of principals over the years, but he stood out the most out of all the principals that they had. All of us who know him, we are definitely praying for the best, and he’s definitely in my prayers, and I hope that this can be resolved.”