A toxic chemical has been found in the groundwater at three different locations on the property of Bethpage High School, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. 

The DEC says monitoring wells 60 feet below the high school detected radium. It says it could not determine how the high levels of radium entered into those wells. 

The agency says that the chemical does not present a health risk for students or faculty on site. It says the monitoring wells do not supply drinking water, and there is no exposure to that groundwater on the property.

Bethpage Water Superintendent Michael Boufis says more tests are needed to verify the results, and he wants to make it clear that radium is not in the drinking water.

"The water is safe to drink," he says.

The Bethpage Union Free School District declined News 12's request for an interview. District Superintendent Terrence Clark said in a statement on its website that the district will expand testing to other schools out of an abundance of caution. 

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our students and staff and the results to date have demonstrated we have no immediate health concerns in any of our schools," the statement reads.