More than 20 Nassau County school districts have tested positive for lead in drinking water, according to data released by the Department of Health from New York state on December 16, 2025, and district officials say they are taking active steps to ensure safety.
Nassau County school districts include:
Baldwin
Bethpage
Freeport
Great Neck
HempsteadEdit
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
New York State raised water safety standards in 2022, lowering the compliance threshold from 15 parts per billion to 5 parts per billion.
Schools must test water using a “first draw” sample, which means the water is tested after it has sat in the pipes overnight or over a weekend, providing an accurate representation of drinking water levels.
For any location that exceeds the 5 ppb threshold, school districts must take immediate action, including closing and removing water fountains, as well as notifying staff and parents.
Dozens of Suffolk County school districts also tested positive for lead in their water, according to the state.
Several district leaders from across Nassau addressed their districts’ test results.
Farmingdale Superintendent Paul Defendini sent a letter to the community Tuesday about the water report, saying the district is implementing improvements to its buildings to ensure consistent water quality, decommissioning old units and expanding filtration systems.
“At the Farmingdale School District, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities,” he wrote.
The Great Neck Public School District’s 2023 results showed that 7 of its 9 schools tested positive for lead.
Testing of drinking water at EM 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 results.
Superintendent Kenneth Bossert issued a statement on the school’s website Tuesday.
“It is critical to note that this report references state-mandated water testing that our district conducted in 2023,” Bossert said in a statement. “Immediately after testing was completed, steps were taken to ensure all drinking water sources met Department of Health standards.”
Bossert noted that in August 2023, the school shared test results from several schools that tested positive, along with its corrective action plan. By December 2023, Bossert said remediation had been completed and the state Department of Health’s drinking water standards have since been met.
Massapequa Superintendent Will Brennan sent a letter to the community Tuesday, stating that any issues stemming from the district’s 2023 results have now been resolved.
“The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority,” he wrote. “We remain committed to transparency, meeting all state requirements, and maintaining safe school environments for our community.”
The Massapequa School District’s next round of mandatory 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 the district has addressed any issues related to water safety.
“All water intakes that showed lead concentrations above New York State’s reduced action level were removed from service or otherwise restricted,” he said in a statement. “All corrective actions were completed quickly, prior to the return of students in September, and have since passed re-inspections.”
Bethpage Superintendent David Schneider said in a statement that the district’s most recent testing was conducted in June and the issues 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 shared in a community message in July, any water leaks identified during testing were immediately addressed and corrected in accordance with state guidelines, and follow-up actions were taken to ensure the continued safety of our school facilities.”
The Syosset School District sent a letter to residents Tuesday, stating that the district takes immediate action after each testing period to meet the standards.
“All buildings are equipped with multiple water filling stations, easily accessible to students and staff, that provide safe, filtered drinking water,” the letter said. “All water sources used in kitchens for cooking also comply with the regulations.”
North Shore Central School District Superintendent Christopher Zublionis sent an email to the community explaining the change in measurement.
“Our district tested all water intakes, including those in sinks, which were not required to be tested. The results showed that 15 sinks, which have signs that say ‘hand washing only, do not drink this water,’ had lead levels higher than the new regulations. It should be noted that these units were not even required to be tested, but have been properly labeled,” Zublionis wrote.
Zublionis stated that the district is in full compliance with all state regulations. It also indicated that “water fountains and drinking water taps for students did NOT have elevated levels in these tests and were below the limit of the new regulations. In addition, our new touchless water fountains in each school building also have special filtration systems.”
Two Port Washington Unified School District schools also reported finding lead in their 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 immediately notified, and all water intakes exceeding state action levels were removed from service, replaced or repaired as appropriate,” Superintendent Gaurav Passi said in a statement.
Passi added that as an additional protective measure, the school also replaced all unfiltered classroom drinking fountains with more than 40 new filtered drinking water stations. Passi assured that families can be certain that drinking water in schools is safe for children.
Many school districts post the results of their testing on their respective websites.
