Canvas users report that the remote-learning app is down as hundreds of schools across the US start their first day of online classes

• School districts across the US reported that Canvas, Instructure's remote-learning app, was taken offline by outages Monday morning.
• People first started reporting problems with the app shortly after 8 a.m., according to Down Detector.
• It's the first day of class for thousands of schools across the US, many of which rely on tools like Canvas for remote learning. Zoom, another tool used by schools, was also down Monday morning.
• An Instructure spokesperson said that its apps are seeing higher usage than normal as schools reopen, and that the issue was resolved as of 1:30 p.m. EDT.

It's the 2020 equivalent of a snow day: school districts across the US have reported outages that locked them out of Canvas, a remote-learning app.

Canvas users first started reporting outages shortly after 8 a.m. EDT, according to Down Detector. The outages appear to span the US. Zoom, a videoconferencing tool that many schools rely on for remote learning, was also down Monday morning.

An Instructure spokesperson told Business Insider that it was aware of reported slowness and outages and is working to address the problems, which may stem from an increase in traffic as classes begin.

"We are seeing a 70% increase in concurrent users since spring. We are actively working to scale up to meet the demands of school systems around the country, and we are aware that a few of our customers in Florida and Nevada, specifically, are experiencing slowness or outages," the spokesperson said.

After investigating, Instructure said the issue was resolved as of 1:30 p.m., but that users may continue to experience "some ongoing slowness."

It's not clear what caused the outages with Canvas and Zoom, but Monday is the first day of classes for hundreds of schools and colleges across the US. The technical glitches are one of many challenges educators, students, and parents have faced amid the abrupt transition to remote learning.

Some schools initially said that Canvas was fully down for students, while others reported slow service on the app.