Loudoun County Public Schools announced on May 8 that a cybersecurity incident involving Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, has not impacted LCPS systems or devices. The school division clarified that while Canvas is not used within LCPS, some students and staff may access it through outside organizations such as Northern Virginia Community College, Virtual Virginia courses, or VALLSS training via the Virginia Department of Education.
The update matters because some members of the LCPS community interact with Canvas through these external programs and may have concerns about their data security. According to information provided by Instructure, “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.” The school division directed concerned individuals to the company’s incident status update page for further details.
LCPS said it is awaiting more information from the Virginia Department of Education regarding any potential next steps for staff who participated in VALLSS training. Staff with concerns are encouraged to contact VDOE directly. Students and staff using Canvas through other organizations should reach out to those programs if they have questions.
The statement also described how Loudoun County Public Schools uses a multi-layered security strategy to protect student devices and accounts from scams and unauthorized access. The division reminded students and staff: “By adhering to these digital safety practices at home and during school hours, students and staff can help protect themselves and their assigned technology.” It further advised everyone to avoid clicking suspicious links or providing login credentials in response to unexpected messages.
The school division emphasized that its own systems remain unaffected by this event. It asked anyone experiencing suspicious activity on LCPS devices or accounts to report it using standard procedures. “We appreciate your understanding and will provide additional information as needed to support our students, families, and staff,” the statement said.
