Chicago Public Schools IG closes probe into school board president candidate Hilario Dominguez
The Chicago Public Schools Inspector General has once again closed an investigation into school board president candidate Hilario Dominguez.
The investigation stemmed from allegations of sexual harassment with a student back in 2017.
On Wednesday, Dominguez's campaign shared a letter from the CPS Office of Inspector General, which read: "Following an investigation of the allegations, the OIG has determined that there is no actionable finding of sexual misconduct and makes no additional findings with respect to possible Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policy or guidelines violations relating to this incident. This investigation has concluded and the matter is closed. No further action will be taken."
The district revived an investigation into Dominguez's conduct after closing a probe earlier this summer.
Dominguez has repeatedly denied the allegations.
A former student claimed Dominguez, a former political coordinator of the Chicago Teachers Union and the CTU's endorsed candidate, asked her about her dating life and picked her up while they were alone in 2017.
The woman, now 26, took issue with the handling of the investigation into her allegations and accused the Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General of failing to take action for five years, the Chicago Tribune reported.
In a letter to the OIG quoted by the Chicago Tribune, the woman wrote that she was enrolled in the Chicago youth summer jobs program when she herself was 17, as an organizer with the Pilsen neighborhood-based nonprofit The Resurrection Project, the Tribune reported. Dominguez was 24 and working as a coordinator at the nonprofit at the time.
The woman said Dominguez was driving her to a work event when he asked her what kind of men she was interested in, the Tribune reported.
The woman also said Dominguez put his arms around her and picked her up to twirl her when no one else was around, the newspaper reported. She said her feet were off the ground and her breasts and legs were "pressed against [Dominguez's] body," the newspaper reported.
Dominguez said his relationship to the then-teenage girl was one of a mentor and mentee. Dominguez also denied any inappropriate behavior during a forum recently.
Dominguez has also faced allegations of inappropriate behavior when he was working as a CPS special education teacher.
Back in 2021, Dominguez was the subject of a complaint by a fellow teacher who alleged that Dominguez made a Nazi salute and called the teacher "Hitler" in front of students, multiple published reports note. Dominguez emphasized that the teacher withdrew the complaint, and that what really happened was that he stood up for his students in the face of racism.
However, he did not deny the incident ever happened.
Dominguez is a former political coordinator of the Chicago Teachers Union and the CTU's endorsed candidate. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has maintained support for Dominguez despite the allegations.
