Child spends days in seclusion, forced to use bucket as toilet: inside Wyoming's C-V Ranch
Wilson, Wyoming — Wyoming’s C-V Ranch, a publicly funded facility that operates as part of a collection of public school districts known as Region V BOCES (BOCES 5), was put on a Prescribed Corrective Action Plan (CAP) due to “the seriousness of the violations at the facility at this time and a pattern of repeated violations of the same nature,” per the Wyoming Department of Family Services.
The CAP states that “[t]he organization has a documented history of six (6) prior findings of non-compliance since 2022, primarily concerning the misuse of Emergency Safety Interventions, specifically restraints and seclusions.” The DFS database shows 19 separate notices of non-compliance have been issued to the program since August 2022.
Inappropriate Use of Seclusion
A DFS inspection in April 2026 substantiated allegations stemming from an incident in July 2025. Per the report, “a student with a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) was placed in seclusion for weeks and instructed to use a bucket with a trash bag as a toilet. The bag was left for days over a weekend without being changed.”
DFS investigation further clarified that the seclusion lasted for one weekend, rather than weeks.
In the state of Wyoming, the law states that “Student placed in seclusion shall be permitted to access to normal meals and personal hygiene opportunities. Meals and bathroom breaks may be separate and supervised if needed to ensure safety.”
According to the DFS notice of non-compliance, “The decision was made to provide the youth with a bucket rather than removing him from the seclusion room. The youth remained in this room without exception, necessitating that he consume his meals in the same space that was being utilized for toileting, sleeping, and eating, subjecting him to neglect and humiliation.”
“This is much more akin to what we might see in a carceral setting, like a prison,” said Guy Stephens, founder and executive director for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, a Maryland nonprofit formed to raise awareness about the use of aversive discipline practices, including restraint, seclusion, suspension, expulsion, and corporal punishment. “It’s much more akin to something like solitary confinement.”
“Typically when we talk about seclusion, we’re talking about the forced isolation of a child in a room or area which they’re prohibited from leaving,” explains Stephens. “Federal guidance says you wouldn’t seclude a child unless it was a crisis situation. You’ve tried all other things that you could try to address the situation, and it’s needed to avoid the threat of imminent, serious, physical harm to the child.”
The sort of seclusion outlined in this incident, which is measured in days rather than in minutes while a behavior is de-escalated, is likely to have adverse effects on teens, according to research.
“Even when we think about short term seclusion, being forced into a room or area against your will and not let out is something that can lead to a lot of trauma, anxiety, and dissociation,” said Stephens. “Often we see that these practices, where they’re often used inappropriately, can lead to increases in behavior, not decreases in behavior. They don’t help solve any problems. In fact, the often make things worse.”
According to the DFS notice of non-compliance, “There was a lack of evidence indicating that the youth was offered therapeutic interventions to exit seclusion once they no longer posed an immediate risk to themselves or others. Furthermore, the mandatory regulations stipulating that a youth must be allowed to leave seclusion for both restroom breaks and regular meals were not adhered to.”
The notice goes on to state that former site administrator Jim Harrell, the person who authorized the use of a bucket as a toilet, did not contact BOCES 5 executive director "Dan Mayer regarding the incident “as he perceived no wrongdoing and believed there were no other viable options to maintain safety for all parties. Mr. Harrell stated they had not reached out to law enforcement during the incident nor did they evaluate that the youth was no longer able to be served safely with dignity.”
Harrell retired earlier on July 1, 2026.
In another notice of non-compliance regarding a separate incident in 2024, DFS asserts that “[t]he organization is not using seclusion in compliance with licensing rules. The length of time youth spend in seclusion is grossly over the time limitations. Youth are placed in seclusion for non-violent or non-assaultive behaviors. Bedrooms that are not approved seclusion rooms were being used as seclusion.”
Read the full article, which outlines several more cases of abuse and neglect at this school at: