Wright a claim for this The idea is part of a broader update to the district's regulations on personal mobile devices. The change could take effect as soon as the next school year. District leaders discussed the change at a recent meeting. It still needs to be approved by the superintendent, who is in charge of the schools in a district. Patricia O'Neill, a county school board member, said the proposed change is "keeping up with the times." Members of school boards help make decisions about public schools. Parents often want their elementary school students to carry cellphones. It helps them stay in touch with their children for safety or planning reasons. Schools around the country have their own rules for mobile devices. For example, some elementary school students are allowed to bring cellphones but can use them only in emergencies. Other families are allowed to get special permission if a child needs to bring a cellphone to school. Some parents are concerned that cellphones could be a distraction in the classroom or a burden for teachers. Some also worry that cellphones could cause problems among students. They think the phones would intensify the gap between families who can afford them and those who cannot. Others say cellphones, when used as part of a teacher's lesson plan, might help meet schools' technology needs. Catherine Carpela, who has taught first-grade and third-grade classes in Silver Spring, Maryland, said she doesn't support the idea. She believes it could make things harder for teachers. "I don't want to spend my time monitoring inappropriate cellphone usage when I could be using that time for instruction," she said. Carpela also questioned how devices would be stored. Most young students put their belongings in cubbies or backpacks. This might not be very secure. In Montgomery County, school district administrators have suggested changing the rules for these personal devices. For example, students would get online through the school's network. This would make sure the sites are safe. These rules are not meant to promote cellphones in elementary schools. The goal is to recognize their presence and provide direction for their use. "More and more, as we're moving into a digital time and digital instruction is becoming greater and greater, this allows teachers to take advantage of resources when possible," said school board member Rebecca Smondrowski. Sherwin Collette, the district's chief technology officer, said the rule change is in line with a broader goal of allowing students to use their own devices to add to the other technology used for classroom instruction. "There is a benefit to the district as well," he said. Collette said district staff compared Montgomery with other school systems as they considered changing the rule. They found that cellphones already are coming into elementary schools. "Schools work with their students and families around the ground rules about that, and they deal with issues of discipline that arise when one is stolen or comes out of the backpack when it shouldn't," he said. "Parents understand that the school system's not responsible for any damage to them." Amanda Lenhart is a researcher who studies teenagers and technology. She found that, on average, U. S. children get their first cellphones when they are about 10. This is an age when many children are in elementary school. "I think parents wrestle with this a lot: What is the right age to give a child a cellphone?" she said.