Canvas – the site used for almost everything. Students receive and turn in online assignments, teachers post homework. 

So what happens when it isn’t part of the equation? 

Schools and colleges around the country found that out.

Thursday at 9:52 p.m., the district technology department notified students and staff that Canvas had been involved in a “cyber security incident” that caused the district to have “temporarily taken Canvas offline and disabled certain system integrations.” 

According to the email, the severity of the situation has not risen to any extremes, but sitting around and waiting for one of the most-used websites for coursework may not be an option. 

On Friday, Canvas was available to some, but DHS staff were notified to refrain from accessing Skyward or Canvas until the threat was fully neutralized. 

For some students, it’s a difficult situation to be in. Canvas is a vital part of their learning style and everyday lessons. 

“It’s honestly really frustrating and stressful because so much of school depends on technology now,” sophomore Lyla Martinez said. “When Canvas goes down, it doesn’t just affect assignments, it affects communication with teachers, grades, announcements, class resources and even students’ routines.” 

However, some teachers don’t feel exactly the same. 

“As a teacher, you always have a backup plan, using more traditional learning style and techniques is something that we can use at any given moment, paper, pencil-type activities,” teacher Chris Brittingham said. “Technology can be convenient and useful and technological skills are important, but we have to adapt as teachers in the moment.”

According to Dennis Elledge, the district’s director of technology, the infiltration of Canvas is seemingly credited to a sinister hacking group with a history of stealing information from over 200+ companies. 

According to the New York Times, over 275 million people’s information had been compromised through Canvas.