Elopement and safety goals

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Elopement IEP goals teach a student a safe way to get what running away gets them, such as a break or a favorite place, plus safety skills like stopping when called. They sit beside a written safety plan. Example: when he wants to leave the classroom, Jace will show his break card and wait up to 30 seconds for an adult in 8 of 10 opportunities.

Elopement means leaving a supervised area without permission: walking out of class, running from the playground, bolting in a parking lot. Some students leave to escape noise or a hard task. Some run toward something, such as water, a favorite place or a vending machine. Some leave when upset and cannot say why. Because a student who leaves can be in danger within seconds, elopement needs two things at once: a safety plan adults follow from day one, and goals that teach the student what to do instead.

The 16 goals below are fictional illustrations for BCBAs, teachers and case managers. For the full behavior process, start with the FBA and BIP guide.

Start with the safety plan

Write the safety plan before or alongside the goals, and train every adult on it. It usually covers:

Supervision. Who keeps the student in sight, in which settings, and how that hand-off happens at transitions.
Environment. Door chimes or alarms, seating away from exits, a gate on the playground, a fenced area for recess if needed.
Response steps. Who follows the student, who calls the office, who calls the family and when to call 911. Many plans set a time or location limit, such as "out of sight for more than 1 minute" or "approaching the street."
Identification. A current photo on file in the office, an ID card or bracelet the student agrees to wear, and a description shared with front-office staff.
Drills. Practice of the response steps, like a fire drill, at least once each semester.
Family communication. How and when the school tells the family about each incident.

The behavior crisis plan template has a structure you can adapt. The plan keeps the student safe while the goals below build skills.

How to choose an elopement goal

What the FBA shows	Function	Goal focus	Measurement method
Leaves during hard tasks or loud times	Escape	Requesting a break or a quieter space	Opportunities
Runs toward water, a vehicle or a favorite place	Tangible or sensory	Asking for the item, waiting, accepting "later"	Opportunities
Runs and looks back to see who follows	Attention	Appropriate ways to get attention; chase game removed	Frequency of elopement
Leaves when upset, often without a pattern	Escape from internal distress	Calm space, coping routine	Opportunities; frequency
Wanders without a clear goal	Unclear, or limited safety awareness	Staying in the area; boundaries	Interval or opportunities

Asking to leave or take a break

1. Break card. When he wants to leave the classroom, Jace will show his break card and wait up to 30 seconds for an adult to walk with him, in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 10; leaves through the door in 7 of 10.
2. Asking for a quiet space. When the cafeteria gets loud, Mia will point to the "quiet room" symbol and walk there with an adult, in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 0 of 5; runs to the hallway.
3. Asking for a favorite place. When he wants to go to the gym, Ollie will say or sign "gym, please" and accept a "first work, then gym" answer, in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: runs to the gym in 4 of 5.
4. Break pass with a timer. Leila will use her hallway break pass, return within 5 minutes and sign back in, on 9 of 10 uses. Baseline: leaves without a pass in 6 of 10 exits; stays out 15 to 20 minutes.

Weak: "Jace will not run out of the classroom." Measurable: goal 1. It teaches a safe way to get the same result, with a time limit adults can meet. The break requests goals have more wording, and IEP goals for asking for a break covers the skill in depth.

Staying in the area

5. Staying within boundaries. During recess, Ollie will stay inside the cones or fenced area, in 95% of 1-minute checks across a 20-minute recess, on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: leaves the area 3 to 4 times per recess.
6. Staying with the group. During hallway transitions, Mia will stay within arm's reach of her assigned adult or class line, in 9 of 10 transitions. Baseline: 5 of 10.
7. Staying in the classroom. Jace will remain in the classroom or an approved space for the full class period, on 18 of 20 school days. Baseline: leaves without permission on 9 of 20 days.

Weak: "Ollie will stay where he is supposed to be." Measurable: goal 5. It names the boundary, the checks and the criterion.

Stopping and coming when called

8. Responding to "stop." When an adult says "stop" in a firm voice, Ollie will stop moving within 3 seconds, in 9 of 10 practice trials and in all real situations recorded. Baseline: stops in 3 of 10.
9. Coming when called. When called by name from up to 20 feet away, Mia will walk to the adult within 10 seconds, in 8 of 10 opportunities. Baseline: 2 of 10.
10. Waiting at doors. At every exterior door, Jace will stop and wait for an adult's okay before going through, in 9 of 10 opportunities. Baseline: 4 of 10.

Weak: "Mia will listen to adults outside." Measurable: goal 9. It names the distance, the response and the time. Practice "stop" often as a game with reinforcement, so it works in real moments.

Community safety

11. Staying with an adult on outings. During community trips, Ollie will hold an adult's hand or stay within 3 feet in parking lots and at curbs, in 100% of observed crossings for 4 trips in a row. Baseline: pulls away in 3 of 5 crossings.
12. Street crossing. At a marked crosswalk, Leila will stop at the curb, look both ways and cross only with the walk signal and an adult, in 9 of 10 crossings. Baseline: 4 of 10.
13. Water safety. During outings near water, Jace will stay with his adult and ask before going near the water, in 4 of 4 opportunities. Baseline: runs toward water in 2 of 2.

Weak: "Leila will be safe in the community." Measurable: goal 12. It names the steps and the setting. The street crossing goals guide and the community safety goals give more examples.

Telling someone who you are and getting help

14. Personal information. When asked by a familiar adult in a practice scenario, Leila will state or show her name, school and a caregiver's phone number from an ID card, in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: states her first name only.
15. Carrying ID. Jace will wear or carry his ID card or bracelet, checked at arrival, on 19 of 20 days. Baseline: 10 of 20.
16. Asking for help when lost. In a practice scenario, Mia will find a safe helper (a staff member in uniform or a cashier) and show her help card within 2 minutes, in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: 0 of 5.

Weak: "Mia will know what to do if she gets lost." Measurable: goal 16. It names the helper, the action and the time. See what to do if lost goals and personal information goals.

How to measure elopement goals

Record every elopement on a log: date, time, activity, where the student went, how long out of sight and what happened after. A frequency data sheet by period works for daily totals. For replacement skills, an opportunity data sheet shows how often the student asked instead of leaving. For goals like 5, use 1-minute checks on an interval recording sheet.

Review the log weekly. Patterns by time, place or adult often point to changes in the plan, such as a break scheduled before the hardest period. Practice trials for "stop" and "come" should happen daily at first, in short bursts with a reward each time.

Short-term objectives

With an adult standing between the student and the door and a visual cue, the student uses the replacement in 8 of 10 opportunities.
With the visual cue only, 8 of 10.
Independently, 8 of 10, with elopement no more than 2 times per week.
Independently across school settings, with elopement 0 times per week for 4 weeks.

Adapting by age and support level

Student	Common risk	Example target
Preschool	Running in parking lots, playgrounds	Stops within 3 seconds on "stop," 9 of 10
Elementary	Leaving class, playground boundaries	Uses break card and waits 30 seconds, 8 of 10
Middle school	Leaving campus when upset	Uses break pass and returns within 5 minutes
High school and transition	Community outings, job sites	Shows ID and asks a safe helper, 4 of 5 trials

When a student's behavior impedes learning, the IEP team must consider positive behavioral interventions and supports.^[1] Tier 3 PBIS describes individualized plans built from an FBA that change the environment and teach replacement skills.^[2] The IRIS Center's FBA module covers finding the function before building the plan.^[3]

For full goal wording, see the safety behavior goals and the street and stranger safety goals. Check each goal with the goal checker. For aggression that happens alongside elopement, see aggression goals.

Frequently asked questions

What should an elopement safety plan include?

Who supervises the student in each setting, changes to the environment such as door chimes, the exact response steps and when to call 911, an ID plan with a current photo, regular drills, and how the family is told about incidents. Train every adult who works with the student.

Can an elopement goal just say the student will not leave the room?

A reduction target can be part of it, but pair it with a goal that teaches a safe way to get what leaving gets the student, such as asking for a break or a quiet space. Without a replacement, the student still has no other option.

Should staff chase a student who elopes?

That depends on the safety plan. If the FBA shows the student runs for the chase, adults may follow at a distance while keeping the student in sight. Safety always comes first: if the student is near a street or water, adults act right away.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Tier 3, Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Functional Behavioral Assessment: Identifying the Reasons for Problem Behavior and Developing a Behavior Plan, IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.