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The arrest of former Des Moines superintendent Ian Roberts has left Iowa’s largest school district facing deep questions about trust, leadership and the future. Roberts resigned earlier this week after he was detained by federal immigration authorities last Friday.According to a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday, federal authorities allege Roberts has lacked legal work authorization since 2020. Roberts was hired as the Des Moines superintendent in 2023. Federal authorities also charged Roberts with federal gun violations.Before Roberts' arrest last week, he had been widely seen as a strong leader for Des Moines Public Schools. For longtime DMPS principal Alex Hanna, the news has "been a lot to take in.”“It’s just been really confusing and disappointing and heartbreaking,” Hanna said.Hanna spent 15 years as principal at Merrill Middle School, after serving as vice principal at East High School and a teacher at Roosevelt High School. He retired in 2018 but said Roberts’ leadership while serving as superintendent for more than two years had won support across the district.“He was doing just a magnificent job of leading our district. The students absolutely adored him," Hanna said. "He was really doing a great job."Now, students and staff in the district are reconciling their personal knowledge of Roberts with what they've learned this past week.Despite the new developments, Hanna emphasized that the district cannot stop moving forward.“Even though we’re heartbroken, even though the situation has really caused us to pause, it should not cause us to pause in building a quality education for our kids now and into the future,” he said.The situation comes as the district prepares to ask voters in November to approve a $265 million bond issue. The plan would close some schools, build a new one, upgrade existing buildings, and expand preschool programs.Hanna acknowledged the timing is difficult but said the focus now must remain on students and families.He said he hopes that "lovers of public education and in particular, Des Moines Public Schools, I’m hoping that they are ready to fight and to push forward on appropriate funding through this bond.""The reality is, what do we do? Go home and quit. Now, the reality is we push forward. And when we push forward together, we can make this happen," he added. “We have students that need us right now. We have parents that need leadership right now. We have schools that need to know what the next steps are. We’re in the business of educating people. We cannot stop simply because we’re at this crossroads right now." DOJ Investigation into DMPS hiring practicesSeparate from Roberts' arrest, the Department of Justice is also investigating Des Moines Public Schools’ hiring practices. The agency said it believes the district's policy around diversifying staff may violate federal anti-discrimination laws.Hanna said those legal questions are not his to answer.“Why they’re selecting the DOJ to look at the practices right now, I cannot separate that. I don’t really know what they’re looking for,” he said, adding that issues of law and process belong to attorneys and human resources professionals.Watch: Longtime Des Moines educator talks about importance of representationWhat Hanna does stress is the importance of both representation and merit in leadership.“Representation matters. Merit matters not just the fact that I was the color that I am or the race I am, teaching all kids. But I felt I was a pretty good teacher. And I think you have to have that along with the fact that you have qualified teachers,” he said. “I think sometimes people think representation simply means we’re going to put somebody that looks like somebody there. It’s not about that. It is about putting great, qualified people into those positions that just happen to be minorities.”As the district navigates the DOJ investigation and the fallout from Roberts' arrest, Hanna said the message is clear: the district must focus on its students, strengthen trust, and keep moving forward.