State officials have reinstated the day care license of a South St. Paul city councilmember who faced a recall effort after investigators found a child at her in-home day care ingested methamphetamine.

Pam Bakken's day care license was originally revoked in July. According to police reports, a 3-year-old boy tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines on Dec. 6, 2024. He told his mother he ate something he found on a rug in the bathroom of the day care that tasted "gross" and looked like an "onion crumb," the Dakota County Attorney's Office Said.

Dakota County officials said Bakken was "responsible for maltreatment of a minor by neglect," but declined to charge her. The attorney's office said the state couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that "the child ingested meth while at Ms. Bakken's day care."

Bakken appealed the license revocation, and Minnesota Department of Human Services documents show that Dakota County rescinded its decision that she was responsible for maltreatment of a minor.

According to DHS documents, Bakken's family child care license will be placed on conditional status for two years. She also must complete 10 hours of "practicing Safe and Healthy Child Care" training.

An effort to recall Bakken from the city council was suspended in April. Her term runs through Jan. 1, 2029.