Glen Cove district's gyms reopen to students, months after elevated mercury levels detected

For the first time this school year, sixth graders at Robert Finley Middle School in Glen Cove walked into the gym and participated in a physical education class this week.

"They loved it," said Matt Carbone, a longtime physical education and health teacher. "They ran in, jumped all over the floors and were just happy to be there."

The auxiliary gym at Glen Cove High School and the middle school gym were closed over the summer after concerns were raised about mercury vapors coming from the flooring. Following roughly two months of remediation, the high school gym reopened last week and the middle school followed suit on Tuesday.

"They have had physical education classes outside ... since we started in September, so getting to be in these spaces is amazing," Superintendent Alexa Doeschner said in an interview.

While preparing to replace the middle school gym flooring, Glen Cove school officials have said they tested for mercury on the advice of their environmental consultants. Rubber flooring produced in the 1960s, '70s and '80s often used mercury to increase floor flexibility, officials previously told Newsday.

Test results of the high school auxiliary gym floor indicated vapor levels of 2.94 micrograms per cubic meter — nearly four times the allowable state limit of 0.75 micrograms per cubic meter, officials have said.

Testing at the middle school showed mercury vapor levels of 0.33 micrograms per cubic meter, below the state threshold.

Doeschner, who took over as superintendent in July, said the school board approved the use of emergency funds for the renovation, which cost about $400,000 for the high school and about $780,000 for the top and lower levels of the middle school gym.

Testing was conducted before new polyurethane flooring was poured, and no mercury was found, Doeschner said. The district is working with J.C. Broderick & Associates, a Hauppauge environmental firm, to determine a testing schedule going forward, she said.

Experts have said that prolonged exposure to elevated levels of mercury, especially in younger children, can affect an individual’s vision and cognitive function and cause muscle weakness.

In 2019, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a bill banning new mercury flooring in schools and setting limits on exposure to the neurotoxin, Newsday previously reported.

Alison Fletcher, president of the Glen Cove Teachers Association, said there was concern among the more than 300 educators in the union after initial news of the elevated levels broke.

But she said the superintendent provided the union with details of the district’s plan to move forward and her members were given information on how to deal with any illness that could arise.

Doeschner stressed that district families should reach out to a health care professional if they have any concerns.

During sixth period gym class Tuesday, Carbone said the initial reports of mercury vapor detected raised concerns for some students.

"Kids were definitely a little nervous and everyone was asking questions, but it wasn’t too bad," said Carbone, who has been in and out of the building for more than 18 years of his career. "It’s all about the kids ... They would come upstairs every day and ask for the last two months, 'Is the gym ready?'"

During the closure, students participated in outdoor classes or used facilities such as the weight room, said Christian Dottin, the district's director of athletics, health and physical education.

"It really didn’t hinder instruction at all," he said. "The community as a whole was really supportive and made it seamless."