The clandestine cellphone, tucked into a front pocket or buried deep within a backpack, is an increasingly common accessory among middle school students in Montgomery County.

With the start of a new school year today, those students will be allowed to carry -- but not use -- their cellphones at school without violating the code of conduct, as another Washington area school system bows to the will of a wireless community.

School boards everywhere are revisiting decade-old bans against portable communication devices in the classroom. Enacted with dire visions of drug dealers plying their trade, the rules have instead become an impediment to lacrosse moms trying to negotiate pickup times. Parents are also vexed by the notion that their children might not be allowed to call home during an emergency, the very scenario for which many such phones are purchased.

"You know, cellphones are ubiquitous these days," said Patricia O'Neill, a Montgomery school board member who has championed cellphone rights. "Many elementary students have cellphones. They're marketed for safety and security purposes."

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