Two former Phillips Academy students say they were sexually abused by the Andover boarding school's former medical director, Richard Keller, who served a federal prison sentence for child pornography.

Head of School Raynard Kington and Board of Trustees President Eric Zinterhofer disclosed the allegations in a letter sent to alumni, parents and the campus community on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to Andover News and the Boston Globe. "We write today to share that two Andover alumni have since come forward to report that they were sexually abused by Keller while students at Andover," Kington and Zinterhofer wrote. "We are thankful for their courage in coming forward and sharing this information with the Academy."

Keller served as the school's medical director from 1992 to 2011, when the academy did not renew his contract. He was arrested in September 2012 on federal child pornography charges. At the time, Phillips Academy told the community it had "no reason to believe" any students were involved in or affected by his alleged crimes.

Keller pleaded guilty in November 2013 to two counts of receiving and one count of possessing child pornography depicting boys ages 7 to 16. He was sentenced in March 2014 by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 78 months — six and a half years — in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, according to the Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors said Keller purchased the material from a Canadian company on 19 occasions between 2009 and 2011, and that some of it was shipped to the student health center at Phillips Academy.

One of the two alumni described the abuse to the Globe in a phone interview. He said he was a 15-year-old freshman — called a "junior" under Andover's terminology — when Keller sexually assaulted him at the campus wellness center in 2008. He said teachers noted a rapid decline in his mood and academic performance afterward, and he eventually dropped out. He went on to struggle with alcohol abuse and a suicide attempt, and later deployed to Afghanistan with the military. "I very much hoped to die there," he told the Globe. He said he first reported the abuse about four years ago and is "still navigating" his comfort level with talking about it publicly. The Globe does not identify survivors of alleged sexual abuse.

Another alumnus provided a written statement to Andover News describing similarly lasting effects, including heavy drinking and a suicide attempt, along with years of therapy and family support that changed how he came to view what happened. "A predator like Richard Keller is only capable of harming victims to whom he has access," he wrote. "Phillips Andover provided Richard Keller with this access." He added: "When I look back on the boy that I was at Phillips, I no longer see a failure. I see a child who deserved to be guided and protected at all costs."

Kristin Knuuttila, an attorney representing one of the survivors, said the school ignored "bright red flags" about Keller over the years, including an incident in 1999 in which he was caught viewing pornography on a school computer, and a 2002 reprimand for showing students an "inappropriate cartoon." Knuuttila said court records describe Keller's own admission of "lifelong depravity" regarding child pornography, and that Keller told investigators his interest in pornography began in his early teens, became habitual in his late teens and turned obsessive in young adulthood. "It's about time Phillips Andover set the record straight," Knuuttila said.

Phillips Academy spokeswoman Tracy Sweet said the school has "taken significant steps over the years to strengthen our policies and campus culture." "We are thankful for the courage of the two alumni who have come forward and remain open to hearing from others," Sweet said. "We take all reports seriously and remain committed to addressing misconduct and providing resources and support to survivors."

Thursday's disclosure adds to a history of sexual misconduct cases the school has confronted over the past decade. A 2016 investigation by the Sanghavi Law Office, an outside firm the school has used previously, found that five former faculty members had engaged in sexual misconduct with students during the 1970s and 1980s. Three of those former faculty members — Stephen Wicks, H. Schuyler Royce and Alexander Theroux — were publicly named by the school at the time.

The academy said it is now working with Learning Courage, a survivor-led nonprofit based in Portsmouth, N.H., that advises schools on sexual misconduct prevention and trauma-informed response. School officials said alumni who believe they were harmed by Keller or anyone else at Andover can report it directly to the school, through its third-party EthicsPoint reporting service, to the Sanghavi Law Office, or to the Andover Police Department for criminal complaints.

"On behalf of Phillips Academy, we extend our deepest apologies to those who have been impacted by any form of misconduct at Andover," Kington and Zinterhofer wrote.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.