SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) —Todd Reid with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) said the new bell-to-bell cell phone ban is changing the culture in schools across the state.

Virginia Department of Education releases cell phone-free policy

"Kids are paying attention again. They're engaging each other in the cafeteria. The hallways are busy, conversations are going on," said Senior Communications Advisor, Todd Reid.

In Hampton Roads, Chief of Schools for Suffolk Public Schools, Dr. Stenette Byrd III, said he's proud of their students with how well they've adjusted to the new requirement.

"A couple of warnings during the first day. But we've had no major issues specifically at this point in the year," said Byrd. "We've had only 11 office referrals related to cell phone and cell phone use."

Byrd said they haven't suspended any children outside of the school -- and he doesn't believe it'll get to that point.

However, 10 On Your Side spoke to Zenna Nock, whose child attends Arcadia High School in Accomack County. She said officials with her school district took it too far.

Parents like cell phone ban, with reservations

"We didn't think it was going to be as extreme as it was," Nock said. "But they're not even allowed to have their phones during lunch. My daughter, she got in trouble the first time, and I got a phone call home and they sent her home. She had one day with us, and the second time she got in trouble, it was a three-day suspension," Nock explained.

Nock said her daughter had to make up the hours from those absences.

When asked about whether of not she was worried about this being on transcripts for college, Nock told 10 On Your Side's Aesia Toliver that she doesn't want colleges to get the wrong impression of her daughter.

"That's exactly my point, because she had never gotten in trouble before," Nock said. "I never had any worries. But she's going to start applying to colleges soon and I don't want them to see her record and think she's a repeat of repeated, you know, behavior student."

Byrd said it hasn't stopped their students from using technology in class.

"Some parents were just accustomed to texting their students during class time," Byrd said. "So, we say you still have access. It's just a different kind. In the high school students have Chromebooks."

Reid stated the lack of scrolling on social media has led students to admitting it's made a big difference in their mental health.

"I just get so tired dealing with it and always worrying about, you know, am I putting my best self out there and essentially competing with everybody else and paying attention to everybody else," Reid said. "That's been that's been really interesting to hear students self-reflect on that."

VDOE said it will work with its partner agencies to review the guidance's impact at the end of the 2024-2025 school-year and make any adjustments from there.

10 On Your Side contacted all of the school districts in Hampton Roads and only Suffolk Public Schools responded or would provide someone to interview.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — New court documents reveal that Cymone King, the woman at the center of a murder-suicide that left three children dead in Chesapeake, was not legally allowed to own a firearm.

CPD: 3 children, 1 woman dead after apparent murder-suicide on Welcome Rd.

According to records obtained by 10 On Your Side, King attempted to purchase a gun in April 2024 despite a prior involuntary commitment to a mental health facility. Under Virginia law, individuals who have been committed against their will are prohibited from purchasing, possessing or transporting firearms.

A plea agreement also shows King made a false statement to law enforcement related to firearm records.

In addition to firearm violations, records from Norfolk and Chesapeake courts show King had a history of domestic violence. In one case, a person filed a restraining order against her after she admitted to slashing their tires in April 2021. A Chesapeake criminal complaint states she confessed to a friend over the phone that she had flattened the tires.

Another incident in March 2021 led to an emergency protective order in Norfolk, where court records state King physically assaulted a person, holding them down and repeatedly hitting them in the face.

Neighbors and family members told 10 On Your Side that King had been in distress for some time, with one community activist saying she had reached out for help before the tragedy.

Family, neighbors shaken by Chesapeake murder-suicide

Chesapeake police are continuing their investigation and urge anyone with additional information to come forward.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Following the in-custody death of Rolin Hill, Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb made immediate changes within the Sheriff's Office to ensure similar incidents don't happen.

"My hearts and prayers go out to the Hill family. This is a terrible, terrible death and Rolin should be with us today," Holcomb said.

Former deputies Kevin Wilson, Michael Kidd, and Eric Baptiste have been charged with second-degree murder. They were among five deputies Holcomb fired as he called for the Virginia State Police to conduct an external investigation.

Kevin Wilson

Michael Kidd

Eric Baptiste

Body cam footage of in-custody death of Rolin Hill shown during bond hearing

In disturbing body camera footage of last year's incident, you can see a knee on Mr. Hill's neck, his legs pinned down, arms behind his back, all while he took repeated punches as deputies tried to undo a wrap that was on him. Holcomb said that wrap was put on by officers with the Virginia Beach Police Department.

Hill died at the hospital six days after the June 2024 incident. The medical examiner ruled his cause of death "positional and mechanical asphyxia" which happens when a person is unable to move from a position that impairs their breathing, resulting in respiratory failure.

"The wrap is a device that is used by the police department," Holcomb said. "We no longer have it at the Sheriff's Office. We have taken off the harness before and I won't go into the training, because it is a criminal investigation, but we have taken off the harness before and we do have training on it."

He added, though, that not all deputies have that training.

Holcomb said one of the first policy changes he implemented following the incident requires arresting officers to remove any "wrap" restraints from a suspect before they enter VBSO custody.

Death of man who was in VB Sheriff’s Office custody ruled homicide; 5 deputies fired

He went on to explain that all supervisors also had to go through command and control training. That training now includes a staff member who watches out for the inmate in any serious use of force incidents.

"They'll watch the inmate for breathing," Holcomb said. "They'll watch the inmate for positioning. They'll watch the inmate for signs of distress so that we can help them. It's not practical in every situation because it might be 2-on-1 or 1-on-1, and you don't have that, but in every situation where we can, we will have it."

Holcomb said there is also a supervisor watching the deputy sheriffs.

"You have to have somebody that's paying attention to all the people involved, all the deputies involved," Holcomb said, "because if a deputy is responsible for holding an arm and one for a leg, that's all they're seeing."

Since the incident, Holcomb has also brought back the rank of major. The role is currently filled by Joseph Bartolomeo. The rank was dissolved from the Sheriff's Office more than 20 years ago. Holcomb described the role as a subject matter expert who oversees all inmate operations. The lieutenants, captains and sergeants will answer to Bartolomeo. Another captain was also added to the correctional ranks.

Now, he's in the process of gaining perspective from the outside by trying to find a police executive group to come in and assess the Sheriff's Office's policies.

While Holcomb has taken many steps forward, he said the stride that would cover the most ground can't be made alone.

"The real problem is Mr. Hill was arrested for trespassing and failure to I.D.," Holcomb said. "He was clearly going through some type of mental health episode and he was brought to the jail. We need to implement a crisis receiving center here in Virginia Beach so that we can get these folks the help they need and not bring them to the back of my jail. They need medical experts helping them, not deputy sheriffs."

Holcomb said in the meantime, all of his staff have crisis intervention training to help navigate someone having a mental health crisis.

"I'm working at every turn to make every change I can," Holcomb said. "I'm leaning on my experience in the General Assembly. I'm leaning on my experience on city council to get funding that we need to get a crisis receiving center, and I won't stop until we get it done."

10 On Your Side learned Rolin Hill's mother, Gail, worked with Holcomb as a deputy for nearly 10 years. Hill's family continues to fight for justice and handed out green "Justice for Rolin" buttons, the symbolic color of mental health awareness, at a vigil honoring Hill at Mount Trashmore earlier this month.

Family and community members gather to remember Rolin Hill

In Hill's obituary, his family asked for donations to any mental health foundation instead of flowers. It read in part, "Mental health in America is still a major issue."

Below, Holcomb notes updates to jail policies, procedures and operations in the wake of Hill's death.