Audit flags Glen Cove, Bayport-Blue Point and Commack schools over lead testing

Three Long Island school districts did not properly "identify, report or implement needed remediation" to reduce lead exposure at school water fountains, sinks and showers, a state audit found.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office flagged the Glen Cove, Bayport-Blue Point and Commack school districts for the failures between July 1, 2019, and Sept. 30, 2024.

The state requires public schools to test drinkable water sources for lead and report results that exceed 5 micrograms per liter to the local health department within one business day. Plans to remediate high levels of lead must be submitted as well.

Consuming even low levels of lead has been shown to have negative impacts on a child’s health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leading to brain and nervous system damage, slowed growth and development, and learning and behavioral problems.

In the Glen Cove district, out of 313 water outlets accessible to the public, the state agency found that 149 were not sampled or properly exempted from testing during a sampling period in June 2021.

Auditors said the district did not have proper signage to advise the public not to use those water sources. 

State officials also found that the district was an average of seven days late when reporting that 18 water outlets were above state levels for lead during the testing period. An additional test result was not reported to the local department of health, auditors found.

In a letter to the community Tuesday, Glen Cove Superintendent Alexa Doeschner said that when it received the findings in April, district officials labeled all faucets "not designated to be drinkable" with decals compliant with state regulations.

"When results were received, the faucets that were above the current lead action level of 5 ppb were labeled out of service and remediation began," she wrote. "All remediation should be complete by the start of the school year."

District officials said in the letter that a formal corrective plan will be submitted to the board for approval later this month.

In the Bayport-Blue Point district, auditors identified 39 of 312 water outlets from sinks and showers as "not sampled or properly exempt" from testing during an audit period from Jan. 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

The district did not have a complete remedial action plan, which would detail the water outlets exempt from testing, how the district would secure them against use by the public, and what steps to take to fix the problem, according to the report.

During that cycle, auditors noted that 120 out of 470 water outlets sampled, or 26%, exceeded the state's lead threshold. Officials did not report those lab test results to all necessary parties within the required time periods, auditors found.

In a letter posted on the district’s website, Superintendent Timothy P. Hearney said the district recently completed an updated inventory of all water outlets throughout the district and performed new sampling.

"The district is expediting our remediation efforts to address the affected outlets with the intent to be ready for the new school year," Hearney wrote.

He said an environmental consultant analyzed samples of potable water used for cooking or drinking, and those that tested above the state’s action levels for lead were "removed from service or restricted until proper action and/or remediation" was performed.

A complete list of the outlets showing elevated concentration levels can be found on the district's website, the superintendent added.

He said the district has installed water filtration systems on water fountains and bottle fill stations.

In Commack, auditors said out of 521 water sources, 16 showers and four elementary school classrooms were not sampled or properly exempt from sampling during an audit cycle running from Jan. 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

Auditors determined that district officials "did not review or update the sampling plan" to identify all water outlets.

The school officials said in a statement to Newsday that the district is "actively addressing the recommendations" while noting that "overall, the report recognized that the district performed very well."

In a separate finding during that period, auditors said the district was late in reporting that 135 of 765 water sources were above the lead action level. On average those results were reported to the local health department 18 days late, according to the report.

School officials said the district is installing "Do Not Drink" placards at the shower locations, while also increasing awareness to ensure the public does not consume water from nondrinking sources.