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The Chicago Public Schools watchdog made “no actionable finding of sexual misconduct” in its inquiry into almost decade-old allegations that Hilario Dominguez, a candidate for school board president, acted inappropriately toward a former student involved with a nonprofit where he worked.
The Dominguez campaign announced the outcome in a news release and included a copy of a letter summarizing the findings, marked confidential, from the district’s Office of Student Protections. The former student provided Chalkbeat and Block Club Chicago a copy of a letter addressed to her that confirmed the finding. The inspector general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The office had closed a years-old investigation into the claims earlier this year but reopened it last month after the former CPS student came forward. On Wednesday, the watchdog informed Dominguez it did not find he violated CPS policy or guidelines.
In a Wednesday press release, Dominguez, a former CPS teacher and the Chicago Teachers Union-backed candidate to serve as the city’s first elected school board president, said the finding would put to rest what he described as “a decade-old smear” intended to hobble his failed 2019 bid for alderman.
The allegations of inappropriate conduct first emerged in a 2018 internal complaint at Pilsen nonprofit The Resurrection Project. A staffer at the time alleged that Dominguez, who worked as a community organizer at the nonprofit, asked a minor participant in a summer program the previous year about her dating life, commented on her appearance and offered her rides home.
Earlier this fall, that former participant told Chalkbeat and Block Club that Dominguez also once swept her off the floor in a tight embrace and, on another occasion, asked what kind of men she liked.
On Wednesday, she voiced disappointment in the investigation’s outcome and called for an outside probe into how the CPS watchdog had handled it. She has asked to remain anonymous to protect her privacy.
Dominguez said that an internal Resurrection Project investigation and a “community process” had previously cleared him of the allegations. The teachers union and Mayor Brandon Johnson — like Dominguez, a former union official and a close CTU ally — had said they would stand by the candidate and urged the CPS watchdog to wrap up the reopened inquiry quickly.
“From the beginning, I have made it clear that any allegation should be taken with the utmost sincerity, care, due process and accountability,” Dominguez said in his statement. “And with this process completed, I will continue this campaign for the schools our students deserve.”
The former student said she was disappointed in the backlash from Dominguez’ campaign. Still, she said sharing her experience had been empowering.
“Young people, your voice still has power, and you may not get justice right away, but always documenting it is important,” she said.
At a Wednesday press conference, Johnson applauded the CPS watchdog for closing the investigation quickly. He also said it is important to acknowledge people’s experiences of sexual harassment and make sure they feel empowered to come forward.
Chicago residents will elect all 21 members of the school board for the first time this fall. Dominguez is in a high-stakes threeway race for the role of president, a position that comes with the power to set the board’s agenda and direction.
Block Club’s Quinn Myers contributed.
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org. Francia Garcia Hernandez covers Pilsen, Little Village and Back of the Yards for Block Club Chicago. Contact Francia at francia@blockclubchi.org.