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The Montgomery County school board has approved a pilot program to test whether or not high school students can handle the responsibility of using cell phones in cafeterias during lunch periods.

Also under the pilot program approved Tuesday, the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association must launch a full-scale campaign to educate students on the proper time to use cell phones in schools. That amendment was introduced by school board member Judith R. Docca (Dist. 1) of Montgomery Village and supported unanimously by the panel.

With the pilot program, which will be conducted next school year, Superintendent Jerry D. Weast will choose as many as three high schools, each with differing lunch schedules, and allow those students to use their cell phones during lunch.

Once the pilot program is completed, a task force of students, staff and administrators will follow up on the program's results and make a recommendation to Weast about whether to revise the school system's policy on cell phone usage. Under current rules, middle school and high school students can carry their phones, but they must be turned off and put away during the day.

On Tuesday, Weast told board members that he might consider purchasing devices for the pilot schools to jam cell phone reception during class. During lunch, school officials would turn off the devices to allow students to use the phones.

In April, student school board member Quratul-Ann Malik offered the proposal to let the county's middle school and high school students use their cell phones during lunch. Malik tweaked her proposal after a survey showed that all 38 county middle school principals and 17 of 25 high school principals opposed the idea.

"Regardless, this is something that needs to be addressed," Malik said before the school board's vote Tuesday evening.

Last month, several students told The Gazette that Malik's initial proposal would not make a difference because they already use their cell phones whenever they want.

Earlier on Tuesday, Rockville High School principal Debra S. Munk said she randomly visited classrooms this week and asked students how many had cell phones in their backpacks on silent mode. In each class, Munk told the board, all but two students had their phones set on vibrate or silent mode. All of the students in the classes admitted to sending or receiving text messages during a class period, she said.

John M. Burley, principal of Forest Oak Middle School in Gaithersburg, also told the board that his staff spends too much time dealing with inappropriate cell phone use during the day.

"The distractions are overwhelming," Burley told board members. "The needs of students and parents to communicate with one another are met by using the phones in our school offices."

School board member Philip Kauffman (At-large) of Olney said he was skeptical that the pilot program will work.

"For this to be successful, folks are going to have to work together," said school board member Christopher S. Barclay (Dist. 4) of Takoma Park.