Chicago – The Chicago Public Schools Office of the Inspector General has reopened a sexual‑misconduct investigation into Hilario Domínguez, the union‑backed candidate for Chicago school board president. The case, originally closed this summer after the office found insufficient evidence, was revived after the former student who originally filed the complaint contacted the watchdog.
Background of the allegation
In 2017, while Domínguez was a community organizer for The Resurrection Project, a nonprofit serving youth in Pilsen, a 17‑year‑old summer‑program participant alleges he asked her about the type of men she liked, lifted her off the ground and pressed his body against hers in a hug. The former student, who asked to remain anonymous, says the encounter made her feel uncomfortable.
The allegation first surfaced in a 2018 internal complaint filed by a staff member at the nonprofit. The complaint noted that Domínguez had asked a participant about her dating life, commented on her appearance and offered rides home. The staffer later reported that a nonprofit leader told Domínguez he had been spoken to about his behavior around young women.
Investigation timeline
The CPS Office of the Inspector General closed the inquiry in June 2024, issuing a “Not Substantiated” report that found no sufficient evidence of sexual misconduct. However, the former student reached out to the watchdog after learning the case had been closed, prompting the agency to reopen the investigation in recent weeks.
Assistant Inspector General Christina Guarisco, who heads the Sexual Allegations Unit, confirmed the reopening in an email to Domínguez on June 26, stating the office had not found sufficient evidence of misconduct toward the student or any other minor. The watchdog’s email also noted that the investigation was originally launched in 2021 and that multiple attempts to contact the former student were made in 2022.
Domínguez’s response
Domínguez, 33, denied the allegations and called them politically motivated. He told reporters that the accusations first emerged during his 2018 campaign for 25th Ward alderman and have resurfaced now to sabotage his bid for school board president.
“In every investigation and process, I have already answered this and the conclusion has been the same: unfounded, unsubstantiated,” Domínguez said in a statement released Monday. In an Instagram video over the weekend, he argued the allegations are a “bid to sabotage” his campaign and vowed to cooperate fully with the restarted investigation.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Domínguez said he had spoken with the CPS watchdog that day and reiterated his willingness to be accountable, adding, “I am ready to participate in every investigation.” He declined to take questions from reporters.
Political fallout
The reopening adds a new wrinkle to a three‑way race that also includes former CPS principal and current board member Jessica Biggs and attorney Victor Henderson. At least two other board‑candidate campaigns have publicly urged Domínguez to withdraw.
The Chicago Teachers Union, which backs Domínguez, issued a letter accusing the watchdog of violating its policy against commenting on open cases. The union pledged to ensure due process for Domínguez and warned that the inquiry should not be “rushed to judgement in the press or corrupted by the politics of the moment.”
Context on the CPS watchdog
The Office of the Inspector General’s Sexual Allegations Unit was created in 2018 after a Chicago Tribune series highlighted widespread misconduct in CPS. The unit has opened thousands of cases and regularly faces a significant backlog, often launching investigations based on third‑party tips even when alleged victims are difficult to reach.
While the investigation’s outcome remains pending, the renewed scrutiny underscores the high‑stakes nature of Chicago’s first fully elected school board and the intense political pressures surrounding the upcoming November election.
Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.
