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November 13, 2024 CERTIFIED MAIL Samantha Matthees 3531 Tamarack Avenue Northwest Bemidji, MN 56601 License Number 1083712 FCC ORDER OF LICENSE REVOCATION Dear Ms. Matthees: Based on the recommendation of Beltrami County Human Services (Beltrami County), the Department of Human Services (DHS) is revoking your license to provide family child care at 3531 Tamarack Avenue Northwest, Bemidji, MN. Details of our findings are provided below. Our next steps and your options are also detailed. REASON FOR LICENSE REVOCATION 1. Commissioner’s evaluation of program In determining whether a licensing action is warranted, DHS evaluated the facts, conditions, and circumstances concerning your program’s operation. This includes consideration of the well-being of children served in your program, available evaluations from consumers of your program, and information about the qualifications of caregivers working in your program. Specifically, because you were found responsible for reoccurring maltreatment of children, because you are disqualified, and because you failed to provide required supervision to children in care. DHS has determined that revocation of your license is appropriate based on the violations identified below and the program evaluation. Legal Authority: Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.04, subdivision 6. 2. Determination that the license holder is responsible for maltreatment April 5, 2024, Maltreatment Determination On April 5, 2024, Beltrami County determined that you were responsible for maltreatment of minors by neglect. Specifically, Beltrami County determined that you did not provide adequate supervision when you left the children in your child care program unattended during child care hours on multiple occasions. You requested reconsideration and Beltrami County determined that the maltreatment determination was correct. You have made a timely request for a fair hearing of the maltreatment determination. This hearing is pending. If you appeal the revocation order, as explained below, the maltreatment determination will be heard along with the revocation at a contested case hearing. Statute Violated: Minnesota Statutes, section 260E.03. Legal Authority: Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.07, subdivision 3 paragraph (a) subparagraph (1). License holders found responsible for maltreatment are required to pay a $1000 fine for each determination of maltreatment of a minor. Because license revocation is a more severe sanction against your license, DHS is not imposing this fine. If the revocation is rescinded, DHS may impose the fine at that time. 3. Disqualification of the license holder On April 18, 2024, DHS notified you that you had a disqualification, and of the right to request reconsideration. The disqualification was for recurring maltreatment. On May 31, 2024, you made a timely request for reconsideration of the disqualification. On November 13, 2024, DHS notified you that your disqualification was correct, was not set aside and a variance had not been granted. You were also notified of the right to appeal this decision at a fair hearing. If you request a fair hearing regarding the disqualification and if you appeal this revocation order, as described below, the correctness of your disqualification and whether you pose a risk of harm to children served by the program may be heard along with the revocation. Legal Authority: Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.07, subdivision 3, paragraph (a), subparagraph (2); Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.04, subdivision 7, paragraph (d) (1). 4. Failure to comply with licensing laws and rules Beltrami County determined that you failed to fully comply with the laws and rules that apply to licensed family child care. DHS has considered the nature, chronicity, or severity of the violations that led to the revocation of your license. Legal Authority: Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.07, subdivision 3, paragraph (a), subparagraph (1). Nature, history and severity of violations New violations determined On March 21, 2024, and April 2, 2024, Beltrami County conducted a licensing investigation at your licensed program. The following are new violations that have not been the subject of a previous correction order. If you appeal this order, the following violations will be reviewed as a part of the appeal. DHS considered these violations, as well as the maltreatment determination described above, as a factor when it determined that revocation of your license is appropriate. As a result of the investigation, Beltrami County determined that you failed to provide required supervision when you left the program on several occasions to go to the liquor store, leaving the children unattended in the residence during nap time. Rule Violated: Minnesota Rules, part 9502.0315, subpart 29a and Minnesota Rules, part 9502.0365, subpart 5. Previous licensing actions The following violations summarize the nature of your previous licensing violations. Because these violations are now conclusive, the individual violations are not within the scope of your appeal rights. Please refer to the previously issued correction orders for further details on these violations. If you do not have copies of these orders, contact your Beltrami County licensor for assistance. DHS also considered this history as a factor when it determined that revocation of your license is appropriate. · July 29, 2024, Order of Suspension was issued to give the investigation time to be completed. This is currently under appeal. · April 3, 2024, Temporary Immediate Suspension, which determined children were at an imminent risk of harm. You appealed this order but later withdrew your appeal. · March 4, 2024, Correction Order, which cited you for the following violations: o You failed to provide required supervision when you went outside to the garbage and left children alone inside the residence. o You failed to protect infants, toddlers, and preschoolers from a hazard when they had access to food cooking on a hot stove. · October 5, 2020, Correction Order, which cited you for failing to ensure that firearms and ammunition were stored as required when firearms and ammunition were stored together. · September 25, 2018, Correction Order, which cited you for the following violations: o You failed to provide documentation that each adult caregiver had completed the annual supervising for safety training. o You failed to provide documentation of each crib’s brand name and model number. o You failed to provide documentation that each crib was in compliance with federal standards. o You failed to submit documentation that you checked crib brand names and model numbers against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website annually as required. o You failed to keep crib safety documentation on site and available to parents. o You failed to provide documentation that you had completed the monthly pack and play inspections as required. Severity of violations Because you are responsible for maltreatment of children, you are disqualified from any position allowing direct contact with, or access to, persons served by DHS-licensed programs, and due to the serious and chronic nature of the licensing 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 revoked. YOUR RIGHT TO APPEAL You have the right to appeal the revocation. Your request must be in writing and clearly state that you are requesting a contested case hearing for this matter. Your request must be made before the deadlines provided below. If you do not meet this deadline, you lose your right to an administrative appeal. The timeline to appeal began when you received this order. If you are mailing your request, it must be sent by certified mail and postmarked within 10 calendar days from when you received this order. Please send it to: Commissioner, Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General Legal Counsel’s Office Attention: Licensing Legal Unit PO Box 64953 St. Paul, MN 55164-0953 If your request is being personally delivered, it must be received by DHS within 10 calendar days from when you received this order. Please bring it to: Commissioner, Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General Legal Counsel’s Office Attention: Licensing Legal Unit 444 Lafayette Road North St. Paul, MN 55155 Upon DHS’ receipt of your timely appeal, your case would be scheduled for a contested case hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge. Following this hearing, the Commissioner of DHS will issue a final order. If you do not appeal or if the order is affirmed by the Commissioner following a hearing, DHS is prohibited from issuing you a license for five years. In addition, any additional licenses held by you shall also be revoked. Legal representation at the contested case hearing: You do not need a lawyer to appeal. However, a lawyer can help you with your appeal. The state or county will not get you a lawyer and will not pay for a lawyer. If you cannot afford a lawyer, you may be able to get free legal advice or help with your appeal. To find out if free help is available, contact: Volunteer Lawyers Network at 612-752-6677; Central Minnesota Legal Services at 612-332-8151; Southern Minnesota Legal Services at 651-222-4731; or go to www.lawhelpmn.org to find a local legal services program that may be able to help you. You can also find information on contested cases from the Office of Administrative Hearings website at https://mn.gov/oah/self-help. Click on Administrative Law Overview, then click on Administrative Law Contested Case Hearing Guide for a list of frequently asked questions. Operating the program pending the outcome of the appeal: On April 3, 2024, DHS issued an Order of Temporary Immediate Suspension on your family child care license. Because your license is still under suspension, if you appeal the revocation, you continue to be prohibited from operating pending a final order from the Commissioner of DHS. Questions about CCAP If you are a provider registered to receive Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) payments, this revocation order could impact your ability to receive CCAP funding. If your CCAP registration is closed or denied as a result of this Licensing action, you will get a separate notice(s). If you have questions about: · Your CCAP registration, and you get a notice telling you your registration is being closed or denied, contact the agency that sent the notice. · Billing or payments for specific children, contact the county or CCAP agency where the children get CCAP. Prohibition against providing legally unlicensed child care On April 3, 2024, DHS issued an Order of Temporary Immediate Suspension to your family child care program, which disqualified you from providing legally unlicensed child care. You remain prohibited from providing legally unlicensed child care even if you appeal this order. Posting of this Licensing Action You are required to place this Order of License Revocation in a place that is clearly noticeable to the people receiving services and all visitors to the facility for two years, even if you appeal. Legal authority for this licensing action · This action is taken under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.07, subdivision 3, which describes under which conditions DHS may revoke a license. · When a revocation of a license is based on a maltreatment determination and/or a disqualification for which reconsideration was timely requested and which was not set aside, the scope of the contested case hearing for the revocation shall also include the maltreatment and/or disqualification and set aside under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.08, subdivision 2a, paragraph (a). · When a revocation of a license is based on a disqualification for which reconsideration was timely requested and which was not set aside, the scope of the contested case hearing for the revocation shall also include the risk of harm review under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.08, subdivision 2a, paragraph (g). · When a revocation of a license is based on a disqualification that cannot be set aside, the scope of the contested case hearing for the revocation shall not include whether the disqualification may be set aside, under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.08, subdivision 2a, paragraph (g), and Minnesota Statutes, section 245C.24, subdivision 2, paragraph (a). · Minnesota Statutes, section 245C.29, subdivision 1 states that a maltreatment determination is final if the commissioner has issued a final order following an appeal, the individual did not request reconsideration of the maltreatment determination, or the individual did not request a hearing of the maltreatment determination. · Minnesota Statutes, section 245C.29, subdivision 2 states that a disqualification is final if the commissioner or court has issued a final decision, the individual did not request reconsideration on the basis the disqualification was incorrect, or the individual did not timely request a hearing after being given the right to do so. · Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.07, subdivision 3, paragraph (c), clause (4) states that license holders shall pay a $1000 fine for each determination of maltreatment under section 260E. · Minnesota Statutes, section 245.095 defines which programs administered by DHS are included in the exclusion provision, and further defines “excluded,” “individual,” and “provider.” · License holders have a right to appeal licensing actions and request a contested case hearing, under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 14, Minnesota Rules, parts 1400.8505 to 1400.8612, and Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.08. · Under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.04, subdivision 7, paragraph (d), clause (3), the commissioner shall not issue or reissue a license if the applicant, license holder, or controlling individual has had a license issued under this chapter revoked within the past five years. · Under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.04, subdivision 7, paragraph (d), clause (5), when a license issued under this chapter is revoked under clause (1) or (3), the license holder and controlling individual may not hold any license under chapter 245A for five years following the revocation, and other licenses held by the applicant, license holder, or controlling individual shall also be revoked. · Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.03, subdivision 2a provides that an applicant for licensure who has received a license revocation that has not been reversed on appeal may not operate as a legally unlicensed child care provider. · Operating an unlicensed family child care is a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.03, subdivision 3. · The requirement to post this order in a clearly visible location is required under Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.07, subdivision 5. Questions If you have any further questions regarding this matter, you may contact Beth Donahue, Supervisor, at 651-431-6565. Sincerely,
Alexandra Keys, Family Child Care Unit Manager Licensing Division Office of Inspector General cc: Michele Voorhees, Beltrami County Human Services
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