Private school apologises for student’s death

Claire Halliday
Kilvington Grammar student Lachlan Cook, 16, died after complications related to his medical condition, after serious symptoms were ignored by staff accompanying the teenager on a trip to Vietnam in 2019.

A private school in Melbourne has been fined $140,000 after student Lachlan Cook, 16, was on a class expedition to Vietnam in September 2019 when he suffered complications from his type-1 diabetes.

The boy began vomiting, complained about abdominal pain and had elevated blood sugar levels, but staff only took him to a local hospital after he became unresponsive.

When his condition worsened, he was flown to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital where his life support was ultimately switched off in October 2019.

In 2023, a coroner determined Lachlan’s death was preventable, with WorkSafe issuing charges to both Kilvington and travel company World Challenge Expeditions.

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In 2023, a coroner determined Lachlan’s death was preventable, with WorkSafe issuing charges to both Kilvington and travel company World Challenge Expeditions. to a charge of failing to ensure that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.

Judge Angela Ellis sentenced them on the same day after finding the risk of Lachlan dying would have been significantly reduced if different steps had been taken.

She noted the World Challenge trip leader did not have training in diabetes management and she did not disclose Lachlan’s condition when she first reported his symptoms to the company’s on-call operations centre. 

That delay and lack of communication prevented the teenager from receiving the appropriate care, Judge Ellis said.

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The two Kilvington teachers on the school trip also did not receive additional training and Lachlan’s diabetes management plan was not provided to them, the judge said.

But she accepted Kilvington and World Challenge had no prior convictions and had shown remorse through their early guilty pleas.

The judge sentenced Kilvington to a $140,000 fine, while World Challenge received a fine of $150,000, due to its breach being determined as more significant.

Both the school and company received a conviction.

Kilvington principal Rob French apologised to Lachlan’s family and said the school accepted responsibility for its role in the 16-year-old’s ‘truly devastating’ death.

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Kilvington Grammar School says it has since taken steps to ensure staff and students are safe on school trips.

‘We will continue to apply these to ensure the safety of our students and staff, both domestically and internationally,’ French said.

World Challenge director Peter Fletcher also apologised to the family and said his company was constantly reviewing its safety policies and procedures.

‘We will continue to work with our partners, schools, and with families to make these trips as safe and inclusive as they can possibly be,’ he told reporters outside court.

WorkSafe executive health and safety director Sam Jenkin welcomed the sentences and said that staff should have been better trained to identify the serious symptoms the boy experienced.

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Claire Halliday has an extensive career as a full-time writer - across book publishing, copywriting, podcasting and feature journalism - for more than 25 years. She lives in Melbourne with children, two border collies and a grumpy Burmese cat. Contact: claire.halliday[at]educationdaily.au