Important Information from WCSD Regarding Canvas

May 8, 2026 

Hello WCSD Families, 

The Washoe County School District (WCSD) is aware of a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, our district’s online Learning Management System operated by Instructure. The incident impacted Canvas users nationwide, including WCSD and thousands of K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, and we are writing to provide an update regarding the system’s availability and security status. 

As a result of the nationwide incident, Canvas experienced a system outage and was inaccessible to users for a period of time. As of last evening, service was restored for “most users,” according to Instructure. Users may monitor updates directly through Instructure’s status page: Instructure Status Page. 

Instructure notified WCSD this morning about the security incident and advised it has found no evidence that account credentials or data were compromised, and their forensic investigation remains ongoing.  

WCSD IT staff continues to monitor and investigate this situation. As we work towards attaining clearer information, we recommend the following steps until we have further information: 

• WCSD students who participate in dual-credit classes through higher education partners, UNR, TMCC, and WNC should monitor communications from those institutions for further information on those courses. 

• As a precaution, we encourage all students, staff, and families to remain vigilant for suspicious emails, phishing attempts, or unexpected requests for login credentials or personal information. 

• If you receive suspicious communications appearing to come from Canvas or WCSD, please report them to spamscam@washoeschools.net or contact IT at (775) 789-3456. 

WCSD remains committed to providing accurate information and will continue to provide verified updates regarding system reliability as information becomes available. 

We understand the concern and disruption this situation has caused for our students, staff, and families. Protecting student and employee information remains one of our highest priorities, and we will continue to treat this matter with urgency and care. 

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.