Chicago School Board Candidate Victor Henderson Faced 2011 Abuse Allegations in Court Records

Divorce court records filed more than a decade ago show that Victor Henderson, a candidate for president of Chicago's first elected school board, agreed to stop using corporal punishment on his two sons after his ex-wife accused him of physically abusing them.

The records, filed in Cook County family court, date to January 2011, three years after Henderson and his then-wife divorced. She returned to court that year seeking to change their parenting schedule, citing what she described in a filing as "several violent and abusive incidents" involving Henderson and their two minor sons.

On Jan. 11, 2011, Henderson agreed to a court order stating that, effective immediately, he would not "engage in or otherwise use corporal punishment or other punitive action involving physical contact" with the children. No criminal charges were ever filed against him, and no court made a finding establishing the abuse allegations as fact.

Henderson, a Chicago attorney making his first run for public office, is seeking the presidency of the newly elected Chicago Board of Education. Voters will pick the board's president and members in November, the first time in roughly 30 years that Chicagoans will directly choose who oversees the city's public schools. Henderson has put $500,000 of his own money into the race.

Asked about the 2011 filing, Henderson issued a statement saying the records "contain allegations that were made during an emotionally difficult chapter in my family's life." He said there were no criminal charges, no arrests and no court findings establishing the allegations as fact.

"Like many families, mine experienced painful moments," Henderson said. "Those are deeply personal matters, and over the years we have worked hard to heal, move forward, and rebuild our lives together."

Henderson said he was "extremely disappointed" that his campaign had "descend[ed] into using private family matters, and by extension my children, as political weapons rather than focusing on the issues that matter to Chicago's students and families." He said his sons are now adults who "deserve to live their lives without having deeply personal family matters from many years ago dragged back into the public eye for political gain."

Henderson said the allegations should not disqualify him from leading the school board and suggested race is a factor in how the matter has surfaced. "I refuse to allow painful family matters from many years ago to distract from the real issues facing Chicago Public Schools," he said. "Nor will I allow negative campaign tactics to discourage me from continuing this campaign. Be mindful that I am the only Black person in this race, and we have seen these types of character-attack maneuvers before."

Henderson's ex-wife did not respond to a request for comment on the record or on the circumstances surrounding the 2011 filing.

For decades, Chicago Public Schools board members were appointed by the mayor. Under a state law passed in 2021, the city is transitioning to a fully elected 21-member board, with this fall's vote determining both district seats and the board's presidency for the first time. The race has drawn a wide field of candidates with different views on curriculum, school funding and the future of the district's elected governance structure.

Henderson's campaign has emphasized his legal background and his financial independence from outside donors, given his own six-figure contribution to the race. His statement did not address whether he plans to continue self-funding the campaign or how he intends to respond if the 2011 records become a recurring issue as Election Day approaches.

Cook County court records remain public. Agreed orders limiting contact or punishment, like the one Henderson signed, are not uncommon in contested custody disputes and do not by themselves constitute a legal finding of wrongdoing. Early voting for the November school board election is expected to begin in the fall.