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Security breach of school software system impacts NC districts

Students work on a laptop computer at school.
Timothy D. Easley
/
AP
Students work on a laptop in a classroom.

North Carolina students and staff are temporarily losing access to a school software system following a nationwide security breach.

The system is called Canvas and is used for things like posting assignments and grades, and general communication.

According to the company, the compromised data “appears to include personal information,” like first and last names. But there’s no evidence that passwords, birth dates, government identifiers or financial information were involved.

Several North Carolina districts have been impacted, including Guilford and Avery County Schools.

As a precaution, the state Department of Public Instruction disabled access to Canvas for all students and staff.

"NCDPI takes the security of student and educator data seriously and will continue coordinating with partners to monitor the situation and assess any potential impact," officials said in a statement. "Additional information will be shared as it becomes available."

Local district officials are urging their communities not to respond to emails from Canvas or try to access the system until more information is available. They’re also working to provide other ways to submit and receive assignments.

Amy Diaz began covering education in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and High Country for WFDD in partnership with Report For America in 2022. Before entering the world of public radio, she worked as a local government reporter in Flint, Mich. where she was named the 2021 Rookie Writer of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Diaz is originally from Florida, where she interned at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, but truly got her start in the field in elementary school writing scripts for the morning news. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.