An audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli into lead testing found multiple compliance failures in the Glen Cove School District, but the district has said that its problems have been remedied and that its water is safe.
The audit, which identified similar problems at multiple school districts across the state, was announced on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, and utilized data from the state Department of Health and the Lead Testing in School Drinking Water Guidance Manual to assess the transparency and safety of water levels in 21 New York school districts from a period between Jan. 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.
This comes after a July 2025 audit by DiNapoli’s office found that 23% of water outlets observed during the same audit period exceeded the lead action level and were not reported to the state.
The audit found that the Glen Cove School District failed to fully comply with state requirements to regularly test all potable water outlets, properly document results and take timely corrective action when elevated lead levels were found.
The district stated that the problems identified in testing have been addressed or will be in the future, and sent multiple letters to the community regarding its situation.
The Glen Cove City School District audit showed that 48% of the 313 water outlets found throughout district buildings were not sampled during the testing period reviewed and that 10 of 19 water outlets that tested above 15ppb remained in use without documentation of adequate remediation.
A letter sent to the community by Glen Cove Superintendent Alexa Doescher in October 2025 said that “all identified items have either been fully remediated, marked as non-potable, or are in the final stages of remediation.”
“District officials should develop complete sampling and remedial action plans, and/or review and update them if the plans were already created, to ensure all water outlets that are or could possibly be used for drinking or cooking are sampled, and those which are not, are properly and effectively secured against use,” the audit concludes.
The Glen Cove School District implemented a formal Corrective Action Plan in August 2025, which includes a centralized tracking system to ensure sustained, districtwide full compliance.
Glen Cove was the only Nassau County School District mentioned in the report. Some 21 school districts across the state were part of the audit, including Suffolk County’s Bayport-Blue Point and Commack School Districts.
State law requires school districts to regularly test water outlets for lead and other contaminants in a transparent and regular manner. The Glen Cove School District provides water testing updates on its website.
