More than 20 school districts in Nassau County have had their drinking water test positive for lead, according to data released by the state Health Department on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and district officials say they are actively taking steps to ensure safety.
The school districts in Nassau County include:
- Baldwin
- Bethpage
- Freeport
- Great Neck
- Hempstead
- Herricks
- Hewlett Woodmere
- Hicksville
- Island Park
- Long Beach
- Lynbrook
- Malverne
- Manhasset
- Massapequa
- Merrick
- Uniondale
- North Bellmore
- North Shore
- Plainview-Old Bethpage
- Port Washington
- Seaford
- Syosset
- Uniondale
- Valley Stream
- Westbury
The state raised the standards for water safety in 2022, lowering the compliance threshold from 15 parts per billion to 5 parts per billion.
Schools are required to test water using a “first draw” sample, meaning water is tested after it has been sitting in the pipes overnight or over a weekend, which provides an accurate representation of drinking water levels.
For any location that tests above the 5 ppb threshold, school districts are required to take immediate action, which includes turning off and removing fountains, as well as notifying staff and parents.
Dozens of Suffolk County school districts also had their water test positive for lead, according to the state.
Several district leaders from throughout Nassau addressed their district’s test results.
Farmingdale Superintendent Paul Defendini sent a letter to the community on Tuesday about the district’s water report, saying the district is implementing upgrades across its buildings to ensure consistent water quality by decommissioning old units and expanding filtered systems.
“At Farmingdale School District, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities,” he wrote.
Great Neck Public School District’s 2023 results showed seven of its nine schools tested positive for lead.
Drinking water tested at E.M. Baker School, Great Neck North High School, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck South Middle School, Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School, Parkville Elementary School and Lakeville Elementary School showed multiple positive rates.
Superintendent Kenneth Bossert issued a statement on the school’s website on Tuesday.
“It is critical to note that this report references state-required water testing that our district conducted in 2023,” Bossert said in a statement. “Immediately after the testing was complete, steps were taken to make certain that all drinking sources met Department of Health standards.”
Bossert said that in August 2023, the school shared the results of several schools testing positive, along with their remedial action plan. By December 2023, Bossert said the remediation was complete and has since been in compliance with the New York State Department of Health drinking water standards.
Massapequa Superintendent Will Brennan sent out a letter to the community on Tuesday, saying any issues from the district’s 2023 results have since been addressed.
“The safety of our students and staff continues to be our highest priority,” he wrote. “We remain
committed to transparency, compliance with all state requirements, and maintaining safe school environments for our community.”
The Massapequa School District’s next round of mandated testing is scheduled for the 2026-27 school year, according to Brennan.
Hicksville Superintendent Ted Fulton said the district’s most recent state testing was completed in August and that the district has addressed any issues relating to its water safety.
“Any outlets which revealed concentrations of lead above the reduced New York State’s action level were removed from service or otherwise restricted,” he said in a statement. “All remediations were completed quickly, prior to students returning in September, and have since passed reinspection.”
Bethpage Superintendent David Schneider said in a statement that the district’s most recent testing was conducted in June and the problems have been resolved.
“The Bethpage Union Free School District is committed to protecting the health and well-being of our students, teachers and staff,” he said. “As was shared in a message to the community in July, any outlets identified during testing were promptly addressed and remediated in accordance with state guidelines, and follow-up measures were taken to ensure the continued safety of our school facilities.”
The Syosset School District sent a letter to residents on Tuesday, saying that the district takes immediate action after each testing period to meet standards.
“Every building is equipped with multiple water-filling stations readily accessible to students and staff that provide safe, filtered drinking water,” the letter said. “All kitchen sources used for cooking are also in compliance.”
North Shore Central School District Superintendent Christopher Zublionis sent an email to the community explaining the change in measurement.
“Our district tested all outlets, even the hand-washing outlets, which were not required to be tested. The results found (15) hand washing sinks, which have signs on them saying ‘handwashing only, do not drink this water,’ to have lead levels that are above the new regulation. Again, these units were not even required to be tested, but have been labeled accordingly,” Zublionis wrote.
Zublionis said the district is fully compliant with all state regulations. He also said “student water fountains and drinking water outlets were NOT flagged in this testing and were under the limit of the new regulations. Moreover, our new touchless water fountains in each school building also contain special filtration systems.”
Two Port Washington Union Free School District Schools were also listed to have found lead in the water.
“When the district received the results of its routine water testing in July, we acted immediately to ensure full compliance with New York State Department of Health regulations. Parents and staff were promptly notified, and any outlets that exceeded state action levels were removed from service, replaced, or remediated as required,” Superintendent Gaurav Passi said in a statement.
Passi said as an added layer of protection, the school also replaced all non filtered classroom bubblers with more than 40 new filtered drinking water stations. Passi said families can be confident that the drinking water in the schools are safe for the children.
Many school districts put their testing results on their respective websites.
