Week In Review: Cyberattacks and federal allegations

“Most-clicked story of the week: A recent cybersecurity attack against Instructure exposed certain student information, the ed tech giant confirmed in a May 1 status update on its website. In a subsequent update the following day, the company said it believed the incident had been contained. According to Instructure, the data breach impacted information including messages between users, names, email addresses and student ID numbers, according to Instructure. But, the company said, it wasn’t believed to have compromised any passwords, dates of birth, government identifiers, or financial information as of May 2. While Instructure said it is actively investigating the incident alongside forensics experts, it has not disclosed how many school districts were affected. A second incident targeting Canvas occurred on May 7. Number of the week: 1% The percentage of pending cases with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in which resolution agreements were reached in 2025, according to a recent report from the office of Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. The percentage is the lowest for the office under any presidential administration over the last decade . Allegations abound The National Education Association was accused of antisemitism by the Louis D. Brandeis Center Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism, according to a complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on April 29. The Brandeis Center Coalition filed the charge on behalf of current and former members of the nation’s largest educator union, saying they “have been harmed by the NEA’s discrimination against Jewish members and its toleration and promotion of a hostile environment.” The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights launched a Title IX investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School Distric t on May 5, alleging one of the nation’s largest districts “appears to be protecting sexual predators at the expense of its students,” according to an agency announcement. The investigation was launched over policies the department said “appear to automatically reassign teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students, including engaging in exploitative ‘romantic relationships,’ to another school.” The district contests the allegations. Physical and digital student safety Roughly 90% of LGBTQ+ youth say recent anti-LGBTQ+ laws, policies and debates have caused them stress or anxiety, according to 2025 data released by The Trevor Project in its annual report tracking LGBTQ+ mental health. Over a third of LGBTQ+ young people reported they seriously considered attempting suicide, while 1 in 10 actually attempted it. School safety can be enhanced by strategies that help students feel connected and supported, according to a recent blog post by the Learning Policy Institute. Research suggests that investments in evidence-based approaches that build a psychological sense of safety for students can help prevent school violence, the blog said. While schools also need physical safety protections, LPI said, some technologies being used in schools lack data on effectiveness and can even lead to harm. A bill that would ban artificial intelligence companions from interacting with children and teens received unanimous approval from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on April 30 and now awaits Senate floor action. The Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act, or the GUARD Act, would require age verification for all users to interact with AI chatbots. Companies with AI chatbots would also face criminal penalties of up to $100,000 per offense if their tools describe or engage in sexually explicit content or encourage or promote physical or sexual violence with someone under the age of 18. In the classroom Some 90% of middle and high school English language arts teachers assigned at least one full book in the 2024-25 school year, with two-thirds saying they planned to assign between one to four full books to their students, according to nationally representative data released by Rand Corp. On average, teachers assigned four full books, and most teachers (60%) assigned more books than required in the curricula. But teachers serving historically marginalized students assigned fewer full books, according to the data. Schools that required students to keep their cellphones in lockable pouches during the school day saw an uptick in suspension rates and a decrease in student well-being in the first year the cellphone policies were implemented. However, those negative effects dissipate in subsequent years, according to new research from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The study found an 80% decline in students’ reported personal cellphone use in classrooms following adoption of cellphone storage policies.

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