The Justice Department said on Sept. 30 that it was opening an investigation into whether Iowa’s largest school district was violating employment discrimination law through its focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The announcement came just days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested the Des Moines Public School District’s superintendent, an illegal immigrant whom the school district said was passionate about DEI. Neither the Justice Department’s announcement nor the letter mentions the now-former superintendent, Ian Andre Roberts, but pointed to language from the district’s website and documents as evidence that it might be violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
