CPS board candidate Hilario Dominguez pushes back on misconduct allegations
Hilario Dominguez, a candidate running for president of Chicago's elected Board of Education, pushed back on claims this weekend that he had inappropriate interactions with a student.
Chicago Public Schools district Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that his office has revived an investigation that it had closed earlier this summer into Dominguez, a former political coordinator of the Chicago Teachers Union and the CTU's endorsed candidate.
The Tribune spoke with the woman believed to be at the center of the allegations, who is now 26. She said Dominguez asked questions about her dating life when she was alone with him, which the paper said an employee also described in a 2017 statement to the district.
In a video posted online, Dominguez said he is sitting down with the Inspector General's office, and said the claims are unfounded.
"I believe in accountability. I believe allegations should be heard. That's why I participated in every inquiry, answered every question, and participated in every investigation and community process, and every single time, each investigation has found the same exact thing — unfounded and unsubstantiated," Dominguez said in the video.
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.
Speaking to CBS News Chicago's Dana Kozlov late last month, Dominguez made his case for the CPS board president position. He emphasized that he is the only candidate who brings the background of having attended Chicago Public Schools and having gone on to become a teacher in the same system.
His wife is a CPS assistant principal, and he plans to send his son to CPS.
The CTU has called Dominguez a leader of its 2019 teachers' strike against the Chicago Public Schools.
