8:50 PM, Monday, May 11 UPDATE:
An update regarding the recent cybersecurity incident involving Instructure,the parent company of Canvas.
Over the weekend, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) received an interim assessment from CrowdStrike, the third-party cybersecurity firm advising on the incident. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has been informed by Instructure that the Canvas environment throughout the nation and here in North Carolina has no ongoing signs of compromise.
As a result, NCDPI will restore statewide connectivity with Canvas today, May 11, at approximately 4 p.m.
For an overview of the incident and the latest updates from Instructure, families may visit the company’s incident status page.
Thank you for your continued support as we work to protect student and educator information and support uninterrupted teaching and learning.
Dear Bladen County Schools Families and Staff,
Bladen County Schools wants to make you aware of a recent cybersecurity incident involving Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, the statewide learning management system used by North Carolina public schools. On May 6, 2026, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) notified public school units across the state that Instructure experienced a national data security incident.
Based on the current information provided by NCDPI and Instructure, the unauthorized access involved data tables containing student and staff names and school-assigned email addresses. At this time, there is no indication that passwords, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, financial information, or other sensitive personal data were compromised.
NCDPI has reported that appropriate law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies have been notified and are actively investigating the matter. Instructure has indicated that the identified vulnerability has been addressed and that the incident has been contained.
Bladen County Schools takes the security and privacy of student and staff information very seriously. We are continuing to work closely with NCDPI and monitoring updates related to this incident to ensure appropriate safeguards remain in place.
At this time, we encourage students, staff, and families to remain alert and use caution with any suspicious emails, messages, or links that may appear to reference this incident. Because names and school email addresses may have been involved, individuals should be cautious of potential phishing attempts or unsolicited communications. If an email or message appears suspicious or unusual, do not click links, open attachments, or provide personal information.
Currently, there is no indication that account passwords were compromised, and no district-wide password reset is being required at this time. However, we encourage all users to continue practicing strong account security habits and monitoring their accounts regularly.
Additional technical updates from the vendor may be found through Instructure’s status page at Instructure Status Page.
Bladen County Schools remains committed to transparency, communication, and the protection of student and staff information. We will continue to provide updates should additional information become available through NCDPI or Instructure.
Sincerely,
Jason B. Atkinson, Ed.D.
Superintendent