By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

At least one more lawsuit is expected to be filed by another school district that claims it did not know it hired an illegal foreign national with a criminal record as its superintendent.

The Millcreek Township School District Board of School Directors near Erie, Pennsylvania, held a special board meeting Oct. 6 to discuss next steps in response to its former superintendent, Guyanan national Ian Andre Roberts, being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement late last month.

The district, which serves 6,500 students, hired Roberts as its superintendent August 2020 while he was living in the country illegally, did not have federal authorization to work in the U.S. and had racked up an extensive criminal record. He served in the role until June 2023.

After working for MTSD, Roberts was hired by the Des Moines Public School system as its superintendent. ICE arrested him after he fled in a school vehicle inside which authorities found a loaded gun, $3,000 in cash and a hunting knife. The weapons possession would have violated the terms of his immigration status if he were in the country legally.

Roberts had been working at public schools with no federal immigration work authorization since 2020 and received an order for removal by a federal immigration judge last year, The Center Square reported. After entering the U.S. on a student visa, Roberts’ criminal history began in 1996, including narcotics possession, criminal possession of a forgery instrument, and multiple weapons charges as late as February 2020, according to ICE records.

After his arrest, the Des Moines school board sued the Texas-based consulting firm it used to hire Roberts, One-Fourth Consulting LLC d/b/a JG Consulting, claiming breach of contract and negligence. The board also said Roberts deceived them, The Center Square reported.

The Millcreek school board also said Roberts deceived them. At the special board meeting, it unanimously voted to authorize its solicitors to explore suing Roberts and the national consulting firm it used to hire him, Ray and Associates. The board paid the firm $18,500 plus expenses to conduct a search for its superintendent, it said. Board members also said Roberts claimed to be a U.S. citizen and had earned a Doctorate in Education from Morgan State University, neither of which were true.

“The Millcreek community as a whole has been betrayed, and we are infuriated at this deception. Please know that we are actively working to identify how this deception was possible and to receive justice for our community through any means our solicitors find acceptable,” MTSD Board President Gary Winschel said at the meeting.

MTSD solicitors also contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Erie expressing concerns that Roberts falsified his citizenship status when he applied for the position. After they have a meeting next week and receive more information, the board will meet to vote on legal action, board members said.

The districts’ actions have caused residents to question why taxpayer-funded school districts are largely relying on out-of-state third-party consulting firms to vet and recommend staff. Criminal background checks that claimed to have been conducted appear to be deficient; cross checks with federal immigration authorities appear to be nonexistent, Roberts’ arrest indicates.

ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said as much when Roberts was arrested, asking, “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.”

Prior to being hired by MTSD, Roberts was hired by D.C. Public Schools as a principal at Anacostia High School from 2010 to 2014, DCPS confirmed. Roberts remained employed there while he was arrested and convicted of reckless driving, unsafe operation and speeding in Maryland in 2012, according to ICE records.

Prior to being hired by DCPS, Roberts was employed with Baltimore City Public Schools from August 2001 to June 2010, as a teacher, resident principal and principal. BCPS said its hiring process included “comprehensive background checks and credential verification in accordance with state and federal requirements …. designed to identify and prevent false claims of qualifications, including academic degrees, before an individual is employed.”

It also claims it follows “strict employment eligibility requirements for all job candidates, including verification of authorization to work in the United States and disclosure of whether a visa sponsorship is needed … consistent with federal law” and part of its “standard hiring process.” Because it hired Roberts more than 15 years ago, the district wouldn’t have retained his records, it said.

BCPS has been sued multiple times over the years for fraud, abuse, mismanagement of taxpayer money, altering student grades and attendance records, among other allegations. A 2022 Maryland Inspector General report found that between 2016 and 2020, at least more than 12,500 failing grades were changed to passing throughout BCPS.

Prior to the investigation, in 2009, while Roberts was the principal of Friendship Academy of Science and Technology, a teacher accused him of pressuring him and others to pass failing students, including for classes they didn’t attend, Fox 45 News reported.