Crump v. BD. OF ED. OF HICKORY AD. SU

MITCHELL, Justice.

The issue before us is whether, at a teacher dismissal hearing, a single school board member’s bias against the teacher taints the entire board’s decision-making process, denying the teacher due process and entitling him to compensatory damages, regardless of whether the bias affected the correctness of the board’s decision. We conclude that such bias makes the decision-making process inherently unfair and violates due process.

The facts relevant to the issue presented include the following: On 7 June 1984, the defendant-appellants, the Hickory Board of Education and its…