Furious parents blast high school's worrying response to disappearance of football coach Travis Turner wanted on child pornography charges
The furious parents of high school students taught by missing coach Travis Turner have spoken out after a 'tense' first board meeting since his shocking disappearance.
Turner, head football coach and physical education teacher at Union Gap High School in Stone Gap, Virginia, rocked the local community when he disappeared into the woods near his home, gun in hand, on November 20.
As the frantic search ramped up, he was charged with five counts of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor - and he is still yet to be found nearly a month on.
On Monday night, the Wise County School Board met for the first time since the shocking events unfolded, but parents were left angry after 'public comment' was removed from the agenda by officials.
But despite being unable to speak on the record at the meeting, multiple parents let their feelings be known to local media outside the room.
Speaking to News 5, one unnamed parent said they were 'aggravated and concerned' about what they perceive to be a 'lack of communication from the school board'.
Travis Turner vanished into the woods on November 20 and has yet to be found by police
Turner, pictured with his wife and family, is wanted on 10 child pornography charges
School board chair Larry Greear also spoke to the media, revealing that public comment will be reinstated at the next meeting, scheduled for January 15.
'Our main focus is the kids, we want to keep them as normal as possible,' Greear said. 'We have resources, we have counseling services available in addition to what they ordinarily have at that particular site.'
Turner had been a teacher at the school for 14 years at the time of his disappearance, which came shortly after he had been placed on 'administrative leave with pay', pending an investigation which remains ongoing.
His family said he left his property armed with a gun and walked into a 'heavily wooded and mountainous area' on November 20.
There have been no known sightings of Turner since he disappeared and police are yet to announce any major breakthrough in the hunt.
A younger Travis Turner is seen alongside his wife, Leslie. The couple lives in Western Virginia.
Lawyers for the Turner family say Travis did not have any active warrants for his arrest issued at the time he left his home.
A 25-year law enforcement veteran last week warned that his body may never be recovered if he has taken his own life in the remote area of Virginia he fled to.
Dr Ken Lang also told the Daily Mail that the $5,000 reward for information leading to Turner's arrest is unlikely to be enough to convince those closest to him to turn on the 46-year-old.
Currently, the only 'Turner' listed as a member of staff on the Union High School website is Travis' son, Bailey.
The removal of Turner's profile comes after Turner's wife exclusively told the Daily Mail that the child porn charges against her husband are untrue.
At the couple's home in Appalachia, Turner's paralegal wife Leslie, also 46, said she had no knowledge of her husband's alleged inappropriate contact with minors.
Leslie, who has been married to Turner for 25 years, has previously told the Daily Mail that the accusations against her husband are untrue
'I don't know anything. I don't know anything. I'm sorry,' she said.
When asked about the child porn charges for which police are seeking Turner, Leslie rose to her husband's defense: 'None of that is true. He's a good dad and a good husband and we want him home. That's it.'
She added that it remains a difficult time for the family as police continue to search for Turner, almost a month on from his disappearance.
'We are all just hanging in there until we get news,' she said.
