Politics
CPS closes renewed inquiry into school board president candidate
Chicago Public Schools’ inspector general has ended its investigation into allegations concerning Hilario Dominguez and a student in 2017, reporting no actionable finding of sexual misconduct. The full investigative report has not been released publicly.
The Chicago Public Schools inspector general’s office has closed its renewed investigation into allegations that Hilario Dominguez behaved inappropriately with a student in 2017, concluding that there was “no actionable finding of sexual misconduct,” according to a letter sent to the school board president candidate on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The letter, from the district’s Office of Student Protections and Title IX, also said investigators made no additional findings about possible violations of CPS policies or guidelines. It said the matter was closed and no further action would be taken. The letter is not the inspector general’s full report, which has not been made public and is expected to provide more detail about the determination.
The allegations had previously been deemed unsubstantiated, but the inspector general’s office reopened the investigation this month. The woman who made the allegations said she had not been interviewed in the earlier inquiry and came forward because she wanted to tell her story. She is now 26.
Dominguez’s attorney, Rima Kapitan, said in a statement on his campaign website that the inspector general’s report “fully cleared” him. Dominguez said voters deserved an answer after the allegations resurfaced and that he intends to refocus his campaign on education issues. He has also said the allegations were raised by Aida Flores, a former opponent in his 2019 City Council race; Flores is a CPS assistant principal and is described as having personal ties to the woman.
The woman’s lawyer and Flores did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The watchdog’s conclusion marks the end of its investigation, but the unreleased report means the public does not yet have the office’s full explanation of how it reached that determination.