Goodbye Canvas!

HCPSS to Switch Learning Management Systems

This year will be the final year Canvas will be active in the Howard County Public School System. The Board of Education has decided against using the educational assistance tool, and plans for what comes next have yet to be announced. Canvas was used as a streamlined service for many school related tasks like assignments, quizzes, and accessing grades. Without this, students will not be able to access anything from Canvas, meaning all data for students will ]be removed. This sudden termination of Canvas has started an uproar in some teaching communities. Teachers are split on the termination, with the strongest opinions coming from teachers who had taught outside of Howard County before.

The outcry from both sides has been heard county-wide. Rayan Omar, a junior at Long Reach High School, said, “I wouldn’t care” since he only uses Canvas to view his grades. Teachers of Oakland Mills have surprisingly not shown much care about the situation either. OMHS English teacher Ms. Natario claims she, “…would rejoice” since some colleges are going back to their roots of using less technology which she believes will also happen to high schools.

The shutdown of Canvas in Howard County has prompted the speculation of many across the county. Parents of students have begun to panic when realizing they might not be able to keep up with their children’s academic career as closely as before. Stressing about this issue, the Board of Education has begun to receive numerous emails wondering what will replace Canvas in the coming years. The Board has yet to speak on the new system but a statement is planned to release before the next year of school that will reveal the program and presumably resolve all parental concerns.