The inspector general’s office at Chicago Public Schools has closed its recently reopened investigation into allegations that school board presidential candidate Hilario Dominguez had inappropriate conduct with a minor in 2017.
According to a letter sent to Dominguez Wednesday from the CPS Office of Student Protections and Title IX, which Dominguez posted on his campaign website, the inspector general’s office “determined that there is no actionable finding of sexual misconduct.” A lawyer for the young woman who made the allegations said she received the same information on Wednesday.
The inspector general’s office made no additional findings regarding possible CPS “policy or guidelines violations relating to this incident.” That letter says the “investigation is concluded and the matter is closed” and that no further action will be taken.
The letter is not the same as the inspector general’s report, which will elaborate on why there was no actionable finding. The school board office expects to release that document by Friday.
Sources who reviewed the inspector general’s report told WBEZ that the investigation included interviews with several staff from The Resurrection Project, the nonprofit where Dominguez worked when the alleged behavior occurred, and with staff from the CPS elementary school where he once taught. The report found there was insufficient evidence that Dominguez engaged in sexually inappropriate conduct or communication with the young woman and did not substantiate the claim.
The inspector general’s office determined the same allegations were unsubstantiated earlier this year, but recently decided to reopen the investigation. The young woman who made the allegations said she was not interviewed for the original investigation and came forward because she wanted to tell her story.
In a post on Dominguez’s campaign website, his lawyer, Rima Kapitan, said the inspector general’s report “fully cleared” Dominguez of any wrongdoing.
The Dominguez campaign also reiterated that the allegations came from Aida Flores, who was one of Dominguez’s opponents in a race for a City Council seat in 2019. Flores is currently an assistant principal in CPS and has personal ties to the young woman who made the accusations, according to multiple sources.
“Voters who weren’t aware of the decade-old smear the Aida Flores campaign spread when I ran for alderman in 2019 deserved an answer to them being brought back this year,” Dominguez wrote in a statement. “The OIG [Office of Inspector General] has given it to them.”
Dominguez said he now wants to “re-center his campaign” on education issues “that voters deeply care about.”
The young woman’s lawyer sent letters Wednesday to the inspector general, CPS Supt. Macquline King and school board members, according to copies the lawyer provided to WBEZ. In them, the lawyer expressed concerns that the reopened investigation had reached a “hasty conclusion” and said the young woman, who is now 26, is requesting “a full independent review” of how it was conducted.
The lawyer also raised questions about why the inspector general closed its initial investigation in June and did not inform the young woman until two months after Dominguez.
The young woman told Chalkbeat and Block Club Chicago that while she was disappointed in the investigation’s outcome, it had been empowering to share her experience.
“Young people, your voice still has power, and you may not get justice right away, but always documenting it is important,” she told the news outlets.
Flores did not respond to a request for comment.
This story was updated to include information about the forthcoming CPS inspector general’s report and comment from the young woman involved in the investigation and her lawyer.
