DHS suspends daycare license of South St. Paul council member Pam Bakken

SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Human Services has suspended the daycare license of South St. Paul City Council Member Pam Bakken after a child was exposed to meth. 

License suspension amid daycare investigation

Suspended license:

In December, state regulators issued a temporary immediate suspension order for Pam Bakken’s South St. Paul daycare, just days after a 3-year-old boy who was at the facility was exposed to meth.

In a letter filed on March 4, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) filed an indefinite suspension of Bakken’s license. 

"DHS cannot ensure the health and safety of the children served by your program at this time. DHS has determined that the health, safety, and rights of children in your care continue to be at imminent risk of harm. Therefore, DHS is suspending your license to provide family child care," a letter from DHS read.

Timeline of investigation

Timeline:

Here's a timeline of events as laid out by DHS:

• Dec. 6: Parents told FOX 9 their 3-year-old boy became seriously ill at Bakken’s in-home daycare. He was hospitalized and tested positive for meth.
• Dec. 7: Dakota County received a report that Bakken’s daycare was being investigated.
• Dec. 9: DHS issued an order of temporary immediate suspension due to children being at an "imminent risk of harm."
• Feb. 10: DHS determined that Bakken was "responsible for maltreatment of a minor by neglect" because a child at the daycare was exposed to methamphetamine, according to the letter.
• March 4: DHS issued an order of indefinite suspension of license.

New violations:

DHS’s letter stated that the licensing investigation unveiled additional violations, including: 

• Failing to provide required supervision when a child in your program ingested methamphetamine
• Violating the terms of disqualification variance when allowing the subject of the variance to be alone with children in care
• Failing to submit a background study for a household member
• Failing to obtain all necessary information prior to enrollment for all children in care
• Failing to ensure that all toxic substances were inaccessible to children when a child ingested methamphetamine

"Due to the serious and chronic nature of these violations and the conditions in the program, which impact the health and safety of children served in your care, your license to provide family child care services is suspended," a letter from DHS to Bakken said.  

DHS stated that Dakota County officials are continuing to investigate the issue, and the outcome of that investigation and potential judicial proceedings will "determine whether a final licensing sanction will be issued."

Boy exposed to methamphetamine

Dig deeper:

Victoria Kane, the boy’s mother, said her son became seriously ill at the daycare on Dec. 6. He was hospitalized but recovered.

He told his mother that he ate something in the bathroom at the daycare shortly before falling ill. 

"He didn’t stop talking the whole time as we sat in the ER room in a bed. He just talked and talked and talked," she told FOX 9. "My son’s statements that he ate onion crumbs off of the floor at her house, and we figured out that that’s what meth looks like."

What's next:

Lakeville police are handling the investigation to avoid a conflict of interest, since Bakken sits on the South St. Paul City Council, Kane said.

Voters have also called for Bakken to resign from her position on the South St. Paul City Council. She did not indicate whether she plans to resign. 

At this point, no one faces any criminal charges.