Virginia public school officials convened for a heated meeting, marking the first such gathering since the disappearance of Union High School football coach Travis Turner, who is reportedly involved in an investigation concerning child pornography.
The Wise County School Board assembled on Monday, nearly three weeks after 46-year-old Turner was last seen entering a wooded area near his home in Appalachia on November 20. Authorities were on their way to question him about the investigation at the time, according to local news outlet WCYB.
During the meeting, the public comment segment was notably absent from the agenda, a move that frustrated many parents. They expressed concerns over the perceived lack of transparency from school officials.
Despite the backlash, Board Chair Larry Greear explained that the decision to omit the public comment period was due to a closed session focused on employment issues, as reported by WCYB.
The Virginia State Police have confirmed that Union High School’s head football coach, Travis Turner, is officially missing, further complicating the situation. (Image credit: Leslie Turner/Facebook)
“We decided that tonight we wouldn’t include an open expression period,” Greear stated.
Greear reportedly pushed back against criticism suggesting students’ families are upset over what they believe is an issue with transparency regarding the investigation into Turner.
“Our main focus is the kids, we want to keep them as normal as possible,” Greear said, according to WCYB. “We have resources, we have counseling services available in addition to what they ordinarily have at that particular site.”
Virginia State Police have launched a search for Union High football coach Travis Turner, whose disappearance has stunned the Big Stone Gap community. (Virginia State Police)
Public comment is set to be reinstated at the board’s meeting on Jan. 12, 2026, with parents telling WCYB they plan to speak directly to officials then.
The update comes as a Wise County judge ordered a seal on any court documents related to Turner’s case on Wednesday, WCYB reported.
In the days following Turner’s disappearance, the football coach, who disappeared amid a then-undefeated season, was placed on “administrative leave with pay” pending review of an external allegation, according to a previous statement from Wise County Schools.
Travis Turner was leading the Union High School football team through an undefeated season when he disappeared from his family’s home in Appalachia, Virginia on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Facebook/Leslie Caudill Turner)
Authorities later announced Turner had been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. The district later released an updated statement acknowledging that charges had been filed against the staff member in question, but stopped short of mentioning Turner by name.
“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted on school property or to have contact with students,” Superintendent Mike Goforth said at the time. “The division will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this process moves forward. Because this is an active legal matter involving personnel, the division cannot comment further.”
Turner’s staff profile page was also removed from Union High School’s website in the days after the investigation was announced, ABC 7 reported.
Turner’s family has since issued an emotional plea for him to return home and face the charges, while revealing the family’s home had been subjected to multiple searches by officials, according to a statement released by their attorney.
“The family of Travis Turner continues to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to locate Travis. Their homes and properties have been searched multiple times, with their consent,” the family’s attorney, Adrian Collins, said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
Collins went on to confirm that Turner was last seen carrying a gun as he walked into the woods near his family’s home, something he had done “multiple times throughout the years.”
Turner’s wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, became increasingly concerned about her husband’s whereabouts when she noticed he had left without his car, wallet, keys, glasses or contacts, cash and prescription medications. When he failed to return home, Caudill Turner filed a missing person report with the Virginia State Police (VSP).
The report sparked a massive manhunt for the coach, with authorities using drones, K-9 units and foot patrols in an effort to locate him.
The family’s attorney pointed out that criminal charges were not filed “until days after he failed to return home.”
“He was not a fugitive nor wanted by law enforcement at the time he went missing. His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him,” Collins said.
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced it is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to his arrest.
Turner was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, according to Virginia’s missing person database. Tips can be reported to 911, Virginia State Police or the USMS tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 or online usmarshals.gov/tips.
The Wise County School Board, VSP and USMS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. As the search for Turner stretches into its third week, his family is continuing to plead with the football coach to return home.
“If Travis has the ability and is able to respond to his family’s wishes; your wife and children are in distress,” Collins said. “Leslie pleads for you to come home and face the allegations by defending yourself in a court of law. Don’t leave your family to fight this battle without you. They love and miss you. They want you to know they are your support.”
