A former student from Pleasant Grove High School, class of 2023, has come forward on social media to share her experience, alleging that her coach groomed her.
A brave young woman, Savannah Russ, has come forward with serious allegations of grooming and abuse by a trusted teacher and coach.
Savannah Russ, a 2023 graduate of Pleasant Grove High School, has allegedly been groomed by her teacher since her junior year.
Her close friend, Hadley Butcher, also a 2023 graduate, took to Facebook to share the story on her behalf.
Hadley publicly criticized both the school and the person involved. She began her post calling out the school name using context clues like, “Jeers to gleasant prove high school in texarkana.“
Likewise, in the post, she also shared Savannah’s TikTok videos where she has talked in depth about everything with proof.
Allegedly, Savannah alleges that her ordeal of being groomed began in her junior year at Pleasant Grove High School.
Peyton Lee, a well-known leadership teacher and coach for the football and basketball teams, allegedly started manipulating and coercing her.
According to the claim, Peyton claimed he was “in love” with Savannah, a student under his care.
This inappropriate behavior allegedly continued through her high school years. If not, even after she graduated and moved on to college, Peyton allegedly followed her.
Peyton Lee wasn’t just a teacher and coach; he was deeply involved in the church, school, athletics, and the Texarkana community.
@ilovesavvv more storytimes coming soon! let me know exactly what yall wanna know or wanna see from this situation! notes, storytimes, imessages, more voicemails??? 😛😛 #peytonlee #pleasantgrovetx #centralheights #teachersoftiktok ♬ original sound – sav
According to the claim, the teacher used his position to manipulate Savannah and convince her that no one would believe her if she spoke out.
This kind of control made it hard for Savannah to come forward sooner, as she felt trapped by his influence and reputation.
On top of that, her mother also had tried to speak out but was silenced by the school.
According to the claims, the school has also reportedly held meetings to keep the situation quiet, which Hadley calls out as “sweeping it under the rug.”
Hadley called out the school in a satirical tone, saying:
so JEERS to the school for sweeping this under the rug, having meetings about keeping this situation quiet, and silencing a victim of abuse/grooming. do better
Hadley Butcher
“Protect your students. JEERS to Peyton Lee for having the audacity to think he would walk away from any of this. for having the audacity to move from one school to another to continue teaching,” Hadley added.
However, now Savannah has shared her story in detail on TikTok, including notes, stories, voicemails, and text messages that show the extent of Peyton’s actions.
In the post, Hadley also called out Peyton Lee directly, accusing him of thinking he could get away with his actions, moving to another school to continue teaching, and acting like a “Christian man” while behaving like a “creep and a pedophile.”
