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Horace Mann Alumni Tap Ex-NYC Judge To Lead Independent Probe

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A group of Horace Mann alumni have hired former judge and sex crimes prosecutor Leslie Crocker Snyder to conduct an independent probe of alleged sexual abuse at the elite New York City school.

A board member of the Horace Mann Action Coalition told the Wall Street Journal that the group looked for someone with the skills of a district attorney and the wisdom of a judge.

The coalition was created to address allegations that teachers at the private Bronx school sexually abused students from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Officials for the school couldn't be reached for comment.

Ex-Judge To Lead Horace Mann Probe

In August, they said the school was fully cooperating with the investigation. The Bronx District Attorney's Office is nearing completion of its review.

Snyder founded the Manhattan Sex Crimes Prosecution Bureau.

Meanwhile, Monday afternoon, attorney Gloria Allred held a news conference with some alleged victims, who said they were sexually molested at the school when they were students.

"The only way to make a meaningful investigation is for the school to agree that such an investigation should be conducted," she told reporters, including 1010 WINS' Al Jones.

Last July, former students broke their silence about the alleged abuse and spoke with CBS 2.

"They are pedophiles, plain and simple. They are pedophiles and they are predators," one victim said last year.

Ex-Judge To Lead Horace Mann Probe

"I was so conflicted, so ashamed, so full of guilt and remorse that it literally took 30 years for me to be able to remember and talk about it openly," another victim said.

Some of the alleged victims have already reached settlements with the school. There will not be any criminal charges filed because the statute of limitations ran out long ago, Jones reported.

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(TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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