Casper, Wyoming — A federal jury began hearing the first of six lawsuits by former residents of the Wyoming Boys’ School on Monday, Nov. 9, more than two years after the cases were filed. The trial in U.S. District Court in Casper centers on claims that staff at the state-run facility near Worland used isolation as punishment and used excessive force against a teenager in their custody.
What the jury will decide
The plaintiff, now an adult, spent two stays of about 11 months each at the school between the ages of 15 and 17, according to WyoFile and Cowboy State Daily. He alleges school staff violated his 14th Amendment rights through isolation, excessive force and denial of due process. FAN does not name people who were children when the alleged abuse occurred.
The Wyoming Boys’ School is a 38-acre residential facility overseen by the Wyoming Department of Family Services. It holds boys ages 12 to 21 who have been adjudicated delinquent. The defendants include the school, the Department of Family Services and individual staff members, including Thad Shaffer and Dale Weber, WyoFile and Cowboy State Daily reported.
Jury selection took the first morning. WyoFile reported that eight jurors were seated and that the trial is expected to last five to seven days. U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl is presiding.
The record so far
In an October ruling, Skavdahl allowed some, but not all, of the plaintiff’s claims to go to a jury. He wrote that staff may have placed the teen in isolation for predetermined periods, and that such stays could have become punishment rather than a response to a safety threat. Cowboy State Daily reported that the judge called predetermined isolation terms the most compelling evidence on that point.
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Among the claims headed to trial is a Nov. 23, 2021, incident in which Shaffer allegedly pushed the teen against a wall with a riot shield before staff took him to the floor. Cowboy State Daily reported that the judge found the video showed the teen complying, not actively resisting. A procedural due process claim against Weber, over isolation imposed without notice or a hearing, also survived.
Last month the judge refused a defense request to bar the phrase “solitary confinement” from the trial, while warning he would watch for language meant to inflame the jury. He also ordered the defense to bring physical items into court, including a spit mask, mechanical restraints, riot gear, a mattress and magnets used in detention rooms.
Opening statements
Plaintiff’s attorney Ciara Boerman told jurors that staff locked the teen away instead of helping him manage his emotions, WyoFile reported. The defense has argued in court filings that every instance of what the plaintiff calls isolation served a legitimate purpose, and staff who placed him in isolation are claiming qualified immunity.
A difficult child, but still a child.
Ciara Boerman, plaintiff’s attorney, as reported by WyoFile
Defense attorney Catherine Young told jurors the school’s staff had a positive relationship with the teen and that his mental health struggles began before he arrived. She said the evidence would show the conditions were not solitary confinement.
About difficult decisions made in difficult circumstances.
Catherine Young, defense attorney, describing the case, as reported by WyoFile
Where the system failed
The Boys’ School has denied using solitary confinement as punishment. The school does not describe its practices as isolation, a point the judge noted in his ruling. That gap between what a facility calls a practice and what a child experiences is the question now before the jury. Skavdahl has already said the answer turns on facts, not on labels.
A second former resident’s case is set for trial Nov. 30. Last week the judge allowed some of that resident’s isolation claims to proceed against two staff members, Elsa Olson and John Schwalbe, even though the boy was never formally placed on detention status, according to WyoFile.
What’s next
The plaintiff was expected to testify Tuesday, Nov. 10. Four more cases by former residents remain after the November trials.
When the state takes custody of a child, it takes on the duty to treat that child better than the home it removed him from. A facility that can lock a teenager in a room for set terms, cover the window and call it something other than isolation operates without the due process any adult would demand. Families and advocates tracking foster care system problems should watch how this jury weighs the state’s own video.
Key facts
- Trial opened Nov. 9, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Casper before Judge Scott Skavdahl.
- It is the first of six suits by former residents filed in 2024.
- The school, near Worland, is overseen by the Wyoming Department of Family Services and holds boys ages 12 to 21.
- Claims include isolation as punishment, a 2021 riot-shield takedown and isolation without notice or a hearing.
- The judge refused to bar the phrase “solitary confinement” and ordered restraints, riot gear and detention-room magnets brought to court.
- A second former resident’s trial is set for Nov. 30.
Sources
- WyoFile — Did the Wyoming Boys’ School abuse young people? The first of six trials to answer that question is underway. (2026-11-09)
- WyoFile — The first Wyoming Boys’ School trial starts today (2026-11-09)
- Cowboy State Daily — Judge: Worland Boys’ School Solitary Confinement Case Should Go To Trial (2026-10-02)
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Up nextWyoming Boys’ School Isolation Trial Set Nov. 9; Judge Lets Jury Hear ‘Solitary Confinement’A federal jury will hear the first of six lawsuits accusing the state-run Wyoming Boys' School of isolating and using force on teens, starting Nov. 9.
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