Virginia school board meets after coach goes missing amid charges: report

Virginia public school officials gathered for a contentious first meeting since Union High School football coach Travis Turner disappeared amid an alleged child pornography investigation.

The Wise County School Board held a meeting Monday, nearly three weeks after Turner, 46, was seen walking in the woods near his Appalachian home while authorities were on their way to question him about the investigation on Nov. 20, according to WCYB.

The public comment section of the meeting was reportedly removed from the agenda, angering parents who said they were concerned about the lack of communication from school officials.

However, board Chairman Larry Greear insisted the removal was due to a closed session regarding employment, WCYB reported.

FUGITIVE FOOTBALL COACH DISAPPEARED IN THE WOODS WITH A GUN, FAMILY SAYS

Union High School head football coach Travis Turner has been reported missing, according to Virginia State Police. (Leslie Turner/Facebook)

“We just decided that tonight we just wouldn’t have an open expression,” Grear said.

Grear reportedly pushed back against criticism suggesting students’ families were upset over what they see as a transparency issue surrounding the Turner investigation.

“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 consulting services available in addition to what they usually have at that particular site.”

FUGITIVE HIGH SCHOOL COACH ERASED AS SCHOOL STRIKES STAFF PROFILE AMID PORNJUSTICE CHARGES: REPORT

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 expected to be reinstated at the Jan. 12, 2026, board meeting, with parents telling WCYB they plan to speak directly to officials then.

The update comes as a Wise County judge on Wednesday ordered all court documents related to Turner’s case sealed, WCYB reported.

In the days following Turner’s disappearance, the football coach, who disappeared in the middle of a then-undefeated season, was placed on “paid administrative leave” pending review of an external allegation, according to a previous statement from Wise County Schools.

MISSING COACH TRAVIS TURNER LEFT AWARE AS FAMILY URGES HIM TO FACE YOUTH PORN CHARGES: LAWYER

Travis Turner was leading the Union High School football team to an undefeated season when he disappeared from his family’s home in Appalachia, Virginia, on Thursday, November 20, 2025. (Facebook/Leslie Caudill Turner)

Authorities later announced that 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 did not mention Turner by name.

“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted to enter school grounds or 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. Since this is an active legal matter involving personnel, the division cannot provide additional comment.”

Turner’s staff profile page was also removed from the Union High School website in the days after ABC 7 announced the investigation. reported.

U.S. Marshals offer reward for fugitive Virginia football coach, warn he ‘may be armed’ as feds join manhunt

Turner’s family has since made an emotional appeal for him to return home and face the charges, while revealing that the family home had been subject to multiple searches by authorities, according to a statement released by their lawyer.

“Travis Turner’s family continues to cooperate with law enforcement in locating 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 later confirmed that Turner was last seen carrying a gun while walking in the woods near his family’s home, something he had done “several times over the years.”

VIRGINIA HIGH SCHOOL COACH LABELED ‘FUGITIVE’ AS LOCAL COMMUNITY ALLEGES LONG-KNOWN CHARGES: REPORT

Turner’s wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, became increasingly concerned about her husband’s whereabouts when she noticed he was gone without his car, wallet, keys, glasses or contact lenses, cash and prescription medications. When he failed to return home, Caudill Turner filed a missing person report with the Virginia State Police (VSP).

That report sparked a massive manhunt for the coach, with authorities using drones, K-9 units and foot patrols to try to locate it.

The family’s attorney noted that criminal charges were not filed until “days after he failed to return home.”

Virginia high school football coach disappears during team’s undefeated season

“He was not a fugitive or wanted by law enforcement at the time of his disappearance. His wife was not helping him escape, she was asking for help to find him,” Collins said.

The US Marshals Service (USMS) announced it would offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Turner was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, according to the Virginia missing persons database. Tips can be reported to 911, Virginia State Police or the USMS tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 or online. usmarshals.gov/tips.

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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 enters its third week, his family continues to beg the football coach to come home.

“If Travis has the capacity and is able to fulfill his family’s wishes, your wife and children are in distress,” Collins said. “Leslie is begging you to come home and face the allegations by defending yourself in court. Don’t let your family fight this battle without you. They love and miss you. They want you to know that they are your support.”