Dear Families and Staff,
We are writing to inform you of a cybersecurity incident involving Instructure, the parent company of Canvas. Canvas is not used by Loudoun County Public Schools. However, it is used by entities outside of LCPS that some students and staff may have access to. This includes students dual-enrolled at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), students enrolled in a Virtual Virginia (VVa) course, and staff who have participated in VALLSS training through VDOE/VLA.
It is important to emphasize that, based on the information provided by the vendor at this time, this incident was limited strictly to Instructure’s internal Canvas tools. Instructure has stated that it has no evidence that passwords, dates of birth, government identification numbers, or financial information were involved. For more information, please refer to the company’s incident status update page.
We are awaiting further information from VDOE concerning staff members who have had VALLSS training regarding any potential next steps. Staff with concerns may also contact VDOE directly with questions. If students or staff who use Canvas through other outside organizations have any concerns or questions, they should contact those programs directly.
Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) employs a multi-layered security strategy to protect student devices and accounts from scams, intrusion, and inappropriate content. By adhering to these digital safety practices at home and during school hours, students and staff can help protect themselves and their assigned technology. As a reminder, students and staff should avoid clicking on suspicious links, opening unexpected attachments, or providing login information in response to emails or messages.
Just to be clear, LCPS systems and devices were not impacted. Students and staff who experience anything suspicious should report it through the standard processes. We appreciate your understanding and will provide additional information as needed to support our students, families, and staff.