Parent Notices
5:35 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, 2026
We are very pleased to report another update today in our work to find secure solutions in response to the Canvas incident.
We have developed a plan to provide grade updates to parents as we approach the end of the school year. We will begin emailing daily grade reports to parents starting Friday for students in Grades 4 – 11. We will email parents these daily grade reports for the remainder of the school year (excluding Sunday, 5/17/26). The grades in these daily reports will be based on the grades and assignments entered into Canvas by teachers. These will be similar to the weekly progress reports emailed on Saturdays.
Students also can access and review their grades in Canvas while using a CCSD device at school.
We will continue to monitor updates from Canvas closely and keep you updated. While we have received assurances our data and grades housed in Canvas were not accessed, if for any reason you have a concern, please contact Canvas.Support@cherokeek12.net.
1:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, 2026
We are pleased to report that at this time all 40 of our schools and centers have successfully reconnected to the Canvas learning management system in the secure and tightly monitored environment established by our Technology team.
For students and teachers, we are continuing to allow Canvas access from to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday (5/15/26) and Monday (5/18/26) through Friday (5/22/26) only while on our campuses and only while using district-provided technology and a district network. We continue to ask students, parents, and employees to not use Canvas from a home network or personal device.
Teachers are entering grades into Canvas, and students can access and review their Canvas gradebooks while using a CCSD device at school. We are continuing to work toward a solution for providing parents with greater access to grades. We also are aware of the implications for students enrolled in a course with Georgia Virtual School or a dual enrollment course and we are working closely with these providers to ensure grades are available and posted on time.
As a reminder, our Remote Learning digital learning day scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026 (due to schools being used as polling locations) will instead be a Teacher Workday. No new assignments will be given for students to complete at home on May 19, as Canvas should not be accessed by students from home.
We will continue to monitor updates from Canvas closely and keep you updated. While we have received assurances our data and grades housed in Canvas were not accessed, if for any reason you have a concern, please contact Canvas.Support@cherokeek12.net.
5:45 Monday, May 11, 2026
We’re pleased to announce that we have completed the testing of security controls to allow a limited restoration of access to Canvas.
For students and teachers, we are allowing Canvas access from to 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday (5/12/26) through Friday (5/15/26) and Monday (5/18/26) through Friday (5/22/26) only while on our campuses and only while using district-provided technology and a district network.
We continue to ask students, parents, and employees to not use Canvas from a home network or personal device.
CCSD’s Remote Learning digital learning day scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026 (due to schools being used as polling locations) will instead be a Teacher Workday. No new assignments will be given for students to complete at home on May 19, as Canvas should not be accessed by students from home.
We will continue to monitor updates from Canvas closely. We have a series of plans in place to ensure a smooth conclusion to the school year.
While we have received assurances our data and grades housed in Canvas were not accessed, if for any reason you have a concern, please contact Canvas.Support@cherokeek12.net.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
8:40 a.m. Monday, May 11, 2026
This message is to update you on our disrupted service with Canvas learning management system. We still ask that you do not attempt to access Canvas until we have full confidence that a secure environment has been established and tested.
This morning, we received an update from Instructure, the Canvas vendor, communicating confidence that our data within Canvas has not been compromised and that access to Canvas soon may be restored. Our team worked over the weekend to ensure our environment is secure to re-open as soon as possible with tight security controls. Testing of this secure environment is in progress today. We also continue to work with state agencies and surrounding school districts to evaluate all possible solutions.
As we shared with you Friday, robust planning is underway for alternate solutions to manage all essential end-of-year operations should the Canvas disruption continue. Here is an update on our proactive steps:
GRADES: We have successfully retrieved all grades for Grades 3-12 out of Canvas. This ensures our teachers can complete end-of-year grade calculations in the event of a sustained Canvas disruption. We continue to work on plans for assignments submitted in Canvas that have not yet been graded and late or unsubmitted assignments.
FINAL EXAMS: All high school teachers have a plan for seniors’ final exams in the event of a sustained Canvas disruption. We continue to test solutions for other high school levels and middle schools to administer final exams and access end-of-year content.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this disruption. We will keep you informed as updates and new information becomes available.
4:30 p.m. Friday, May 8, 2026
This message is to update you on the impact of the worldwide cybersecurity incident experienced by Instructure, the vendor for our Canvas learning management system.
Our goal is to restore Canvas to an operational status with tightly controlled security monitoring as soon as possible. We still ask that you do not attempt to access Canvas until we have full confidence that a secure environment has been established and tested.
In the meantime, there is robust planning for alternate solutions to manage all essential end-of-year operations should the Canvas disruption continue. We have taken the following proactive steps:
GRADES: We have successfully retrieved all high school grades out of Canvas including all high school credit courses offered in middle school. This ensures our high school teachers can complete end-of-year grade calculations in the event of a sustained Canvas disruption. We are testing solutions to access grades for all grade levels. We are working on plans for assignments submitted in Canvas that have not yet been graded and late or unsubmitted assignments. Parents will receive a weekly grade report as scheduled on Saturday; it will include the most updated grades as of the end of the day, Thursday, May 7.
FINAL EXAMS: All high school teachers have a plan for seniors’ final exams in the event of a sustained Canvas disruption. We now are testing solutions for other high school levels and middle schools to administer final exams and access end-of-year content.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this disruption. We will keep you informed as updates and new information becomes available.
Friday, May 8, 2026
This message is to update you on the impact of the cybersecurity incident experienced by Instructure, the vendor for our Canvas learning management system.
We have temporarily disabled access for teacher and student Canvas accounts. Please do not attempt to access your parent Canvas account on a laptop device or personal cell phone.
The cybersecurity incident may result in messages providing false information and suggesting links to click. All authorized updates to CCSD families will be sent from me with the subject line: CCSD Canvas Update [today’s date].
A team of our Academics, School Leadership, and Technology senior staff is developing a plan for essential content housed in Canvas including student access to assignments and parent access to grades should there be sustained interruption. We are highly engaged with the Canvas team and monitoring updates from them closely.
As we shared yesterday: while basic user data, such as names and email addresses, and internal messages may have been accessed; student grades were not accessed, nor were passwords. Canvas does not store Social Security numbers or financial information for any users.
We want to assure you that our CCSD system is not at risk, but we need to take proactive measures to keep it that way. We apologize for the unexpected convenience this vendor issue may have caused you. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we develop our plan. We will keep you informed as new information becomes available.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Dear CCSD Families,
This message is to inform you that Instructure, the vendor for our Canvas learning management system, has experienced a cybersecurity incident.
We are stopping all access to Canvas until further notice. Accounts in school district and university partners are receiving pushed notifications into the platform. Please do not access these notices.
The vendor has communicated that basic user data, such as names and email addresses, and internal messages may have been accessed. Student grades were not accessed, nor were passwords. Canvas does not store Social Security numbers or financial information for any users.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will keep you informed.
Barbara P. Jacoby
Chief Communications Officer
Cherokee County School District
Friday, Oct. 31, 2025
Dear CCSD Families,
There have been ongoing news reports related to federal funding. This message is to provide clarity regarding the impact of changes at the federal level of government on our daily operations as a school district. First, you can be assured that there is no impact on our current school district operations, and all current programs and services for students and families are continuing as usual. We know that the national news reports can cause uncertainty, but please be assured that CCSD has staff members dedicated to reviewing federal changes, evaluating the impact, and if something would have a local effect -- we would communicate directly to our staff and families. In the meantime, we are committed to ensuring our students continue to receive the support and opportunities they need to succeed. Additional insights are provided below:
General Overview
• Our current federal funding was authorized last year and is therefore in place for this school year.
• Federal funding makes up less than 5% of CCSD’s total operating budget. Our federally funded programs and day-to-day operations are stable.
Areas We’re Watching
While there has been no impact on our school district operations, we’re monitoring these areas and are prepared to keep you informed if any federal changes were to result in something locally being impacted.
Special Education
The U.S. Department of Education has been directed to reduce staff at the federal level. This includes a reduction in staff in the federal office of special education. However, this does not impact any current staffing or services within CCSD.
School Nutrition Programs
• No funding changes are expected for our School Nutrition Program.
• If this changes, we are prepared to keep our breakfast and lunch service intact.
• While other federal programs like SNAP have been affected, CCSD will continue school breakfast and lunch services
• If your family is in need of additional support during this time, visit https://findhelp.org/ to connect with local community services and resources. If your household income has been affected by the federal government shutdown, you may qualify for free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch. Please submit an application here: https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new You can also reach out to your school’s social worker or counseling department for help or guidance.
Head Start School-Based Preschool Centers
No funding changes are expected for our Head Start School-Based Preschool Centers.
Federal Grants
These programs continue to operate as usual, and there are no anticipated changes at this time. These grants include support for Title 1 Schools, support for English Learners, and special education funding.
We will continue to closely monitor the proposed changes and carefully assess their impact on our school district. Our focus remains on student learning. We are committed to transparent communication, proactive planning, and ensuring that every student continues to learn, grow, and thrive -- no matter what changes come our way. Together, we will maintain a strong, stable learning environment where our students and community can succeed.
Thank you,
Mary Elizabeth Davis, Superintendent of Schools
Frequently Asked Questions – Federal Funding and Programs
Will students stop receiving free and reduced lunch if the federal government shutdown continues?
No. There has been no interruption in federal funding for school meals, and we do not anticipate any changes to our school meal program.
Are the School-Based Head Start Preschool centers closing on November 1st if SNAP benefits are not in effect?
No. Our Head start preschool programs are located within our schools and are funded from May 1, 2025 – May 1, 2026, and we do not anticipate any changes to our services. Head Start preschools not associated with a school may have interruptions to services.
Will the number of local special education staff numbers remain the same, even though the U.S. Department of Education reduced their special education staff?
Yes. Our board-adopted budget for the 2025-2026 school year ensures that we will sustain the funding for staff members and services allocated for special education.
Will there be changes in staffing or services at Title I schools in CCSD?
No. Our current school year funding was authorized last year and is in place to maintain the services at Title 1 Schools.
What resources are available if a family needs assistance in Cherokee County?
If your family is in need of additional support, visit https://findhelp.org/ to connect with local community resources.
If your household income has been affected by the federal government shutdown, you may qualify for free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch. Please submit an application here: https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new
Please reach out to your school social worker or counseling department for more information.