A criminal investigation into allegations of anti-Semitism by a group of students in the Pine Bush School District has been dropped.

The suit was filed last year by parents claiming students had drawn swastikas on a student's face and made jokes about the Holocaust. Capt. Pierce Gallagher said almost 2,500 hours were devoted to investigating the case. In the end, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler says he concluded there were no criminal charges to be filed.

A civil case against the school district is still pending. The law firm handling the suit says there was a motion to dismiss the case in April, but the judge did not make a decision.

The school district thanked investigators for their time, saying they were confident no criminal charges would be filed. An attorney for the parents suing the district says they are not surprised by Tuesday's outcome, and feel the district is ultimately accountable for allegedly allowing the behavior.