With iPods in their hoodie pockets and cell phones in their backpacks, middle and high school students are immersed in technology.

But can even the most tech-savvy pre-teens handle the responsibility of taking care of and lugging an Apple MacBook to and from school every day?

A growing number of Nebraska school districts are issuing school-owned laptops to students - even at the middle school level.

Last year, Arnold, Neb., was the first in the state to bring the tool to the middle grades. Two more districts will follow this year, issuing laptops - with 24/7 access - to students in grades seven through 12.

School board members in Lexington, Neb., were expected to vote Monday night on whether to start a laptop program for eighth-graders.

And at a meeting this morning, the Westside Community Schools board will decide whether to expand its laptop program to its 500 eighth-graders. Westside was the first district to issue laptops to high schoolers when it kicked off its one-laptop-per-student program in 2004.

At a board meeting last month, lengthy discussion included concerns over whether the young students were responsible enough to take the $1,300 computers home overnight. Concerns included Internet safety and care of the machines.