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What an interesting and difficult question. It is not entirely clear what role the Chair has played so far, but looking at the responses from others on the forum and your replies, it appears that the Head may have been involved in the original decision to suspend, but was not a member of the disciplinary panel and is not a member of the appeals panel. Clearly those facing disciplinary hearings do have the right to call witnesses, including character witnesses, but I do think the Chair has an inherent conflict of interest. Firstly, if the Chair was involved in the initial suspension, even given that suspension is deemed to be a ‘neutral' act, s/he has been part of the process and at the very least it seems odd that s/he should now be asked to support the head's case. More importantly, the disciplinary panel is not a standalone body, it is a properly constituted committee of the governing body, therefore, the decision to dismiss is a decision of the governing body. If the Chair of Governors speaks (in her/his position as Chair of Governors) as a character witness for the Head s/he is effectively speaking against a decision the governing body has already made. The Procedures Regulations (Regulation 14 (3) do appear to provide for the eventuality of allowing a governor who appears to have a conflict of interest, but may have relevant evidence to be heard, or alternatively to hear evidence from a governor who is acting in an alternative capacity, e.g. a personal capacity. I'm not sure that it was designed for the scenario you describe. Using Regulation 14(3) the option is, therefore, open for the Chair to attend the meeting in a personal capacity as a character witness, but given that the likely reason for asking the Chair to be a character reference is because of her/his position, I'm not sure that evidence in a personal capacity would add anything substantial to the body of evidence available. It's a matter for the head and her/his representatives to decide how best to prepare a case and who to call as character witnesses. However, given the Procedures Regulations the Appeals Panel may want to make a clear distinction about the capacity in which the Chair is appearing. In my view if the Chair does give evidence (even in a personal capacity) as a character witness, then at the very least her/his position as Chair is untenable and very possibly her/his position as a governor. Ultimately it will be for the appeals panel to hear all the evidence and decide which carries most weight and whether to uphold or overturn the dismissal. Finally, make sure you have access to good HR and legal advice - I'm a governor not a lawyer.
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