Elevated Levels Of Lead Found In Dozens Of LI Schools' Drinking Water, Schools Respond

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Elevated levels of lead were found in dozens of schools across Long Island by recent testing, as reported by each New York State public school and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), shared by Health Data NY.

Many schools have already remedied the issue and have notified parents and community members.

These findings were for the compliance period 2023 to 2025, and elevated levels of lead were found in many schools in drinking fountains and sink faucets.

NYS has raised the standards for water safety by lowering the compliance threshold from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 5 ppb. According to the New York State Department of Health, if lead levels exceed 5 micrograms/liter, then schools are required to take action.

Nassau County schools performed updated testing on its drinking water throughout the past two years in compliance with the New York State Department of Health's new stricter state standards, and many found levels well exceeding the 5 ppb.

Some schools have already sent letters to parents notifying them of these findings, and included what the district's next steps are to address these elevated numbers if they haven't already done so.

Farmingdale School District Superintendent Paul Defendini wrote in a letter on Dec. 11 that the district will put signage on faucets with elevated levels of lead to signify they are meant for hand washing only, as well as turn off and remove any drinking fountains with elevated levels of lead. The full results can be found online.

He said the district will also implement a long-term plan to decommission older classroom water fountains throughout the district and add more filtered water stations.

The Syosset Central School District and the Great Neck School District are two districts that have already remedied the levels of lead, according to the districts.

Syosset Central School District shared a letter to parents on Tuesday stating that they had three rounds of testing in 2016, 2020, and in the summer of 2025, and they reported the results to NYS and posted them on their website.

They wrote: "With each round of testing, we immediately took action to address any water sources that were not in full compliance with the evolving standards. Any such fixtures were replaced, taken out of service, or clearly labeled as non-potable faucets (bathroom and mop sinks, for example)."

The district also shared that "Every building is equipped with multiple water-filling stations readily accessible to students and staff that provide safe, filtered drinking water. All kitchen sources used for cooking are also in compliance. A detailed lead-in-water report, outlining our full compliance, is available on the district website."

They said their next round of scheduled testing will be in 2028.

Great Neck Public Schools' Superintendent Kenneth R. Bossert shared in a letter that their state-required water testing was conducted in 2023, and steps were "taken to make certain that all drinking sources met Department of Health standards."

The superintendent stated that a community message was shared in Aug. 2023, and by Dec. 2023, a remediation was complete, and they have been "in full compliance with Department of Health drinking water standards ever since."

The school districts in Nassau County shown in the report that include positive tests of elevated levels of lead found in some schools from 2023 to 2025 are as follows:

• Baldwin
• Bethpage
• Cold Spring Harbor
• Freeport
• Great Neck
• Hempstead
• Hewlett-Woodmere
• Hicksville
• Island Park
• Lynbrook
• Malverne
• Massapequa
• North Bellmore
• North Shore
• Plainview-Old Bethpage
• Port Washington
• Syosset
• Uniondale
• Valley Stream
• Westbury