As Kelley Lum Oshiro followed news reports on the string of sexual misconduct allegations lodged against a former basketball coach at her high school alma mater last week, she felt a familiar pang of guilt.

What might have happened, she asked herself, if she had spoken up about the abuse she herself experienced at the hands of another Punahou School teacher more than 40 years earlier?

And when the questions and self-recrimination grew ever louder, she decided it was time to act.

Lum Oshiro was one of four Punahou alumnae who added their cases to the ranks of those filing suit against the school in advance of the state’s deadline for filing sex abuse claims that would otherwise have been barred under a statute of limitations. An extension of existing statute of limitations for such claims was opened in 2018 and expired Friday.

Punahou School acknowledged the four new sexual misconduct allegations against former teachers and coaches in a mass email distributed Sunday afternoon to the “Punahou community.”

Two of the cases are connected to former assistant girls basketball coach Dwayne Yuen, the subject of five early complaints filed last week.

According to the school, one of the cases was part of a 2018 investigation into the former coach and initially led to the school filing a police report and providing counseling to the survivor.

Lum Oshiro and another unidentified person filed separate suits in cases dating back to the 1970s. The cases identify a former faculty member and a former faculty member who also served as a baseball coach.

“As was mentioned in our previous email, Punahou has taken considerable measures to build an environment where any member of our school community has multiple channels to report abuse or suspected abuse in a manner that is safe, confidential and respectful; and where all faculty, staff and coaches receive mandatory training to understand the behaviors that constitute sexual misconduct and prevent abuse from occurring,” said school President Michael Latham, referring to an email addressing the Yuen allegations released last week.

The string of complaints against the prestigious private school, several of which have involved prominent families in the community, started Wednesday when mixed-martial arts champion and 2009 Punahou graduate Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, sister Mahina Macfarlane Souza and another, unnamed former student-athlete accused Yuen of grooming them as young girls for improper relationships that led to sexual abuse.

Two days later, former Punahou and University of Hawaii basketball standout Shawna-Lei Kuehu and an unidentified 2006 alumna also filed suit alleging that Yuen had groomed and sexually assaulted them while they were at the school.

“I’m just sorry it took me this long to find the courage to come forward,” Lum Oshiro told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “I’m grateful for those who had the capacity to say what they did and who forced my hand. I can’t say I support them unless I’m willing to do what I did.”

In a Facebook post last week, Lum Oshiro wrote that she was 16 years old and still a virgin when she had intercourse with a 27-year-old coach who also taught in Punahou’s elementary school. She said she was in love with the teacher and believed he loved her as well. She said she was devastated when the man broke off the relationship, leading to an emotional spiral that led to a suicide attempt two years later.

Lum Oshiro said it wasn’t until her own daughter was enrolled at the school and interacting with teachers, coaches and other adults that she finally understood that she had been manipulated and that she was not old enough to consent to what she now knew was an inappropriate, illegal relationship.

The fifth generation of her family to attend Punahou and a former employee of the academy, Lum Oshiro said she maintains a love-hate relationship with Punahou. She said she hopes the school will proceed with its investigations and reforms “with love at the forefront.”

“I‘m scared, to be honest,” she said. “I feel I’m going up against a culture that’s been around for years, not just at Punahou, but in society. In spite of Me Too, it’s still really strong.”