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Today's Question Blog
Michael Olson

Should lifeguards be required at public pools?

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Pool accidents
Data via Minnesota Dept. of Health (Graphic / MPR News)

Minnesota law doesn't require lifeguards at most public pools, including those in schools. But data from the Minnesota Department of Health suggest that the presence of lifeguards could make a difference in preventing school drownings," writes MPR News reporter Laura Yuen.

The health department tracks every time emergency medical responders are called to a public pool. Since 2000, lifeguards were more than twice as likely to be on duty in so-called "near drownings" in which a person survived, as they were in actual drownings.

Today's Question: Should lifeguards be required at public pools?