IEP goals for calling 911 and emergency skills

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Emergency IEP goals teach a student to recognize an emergency, call 911 or get an adult, give their name, address and the problem, and stay on the line. A strong goal uses practice phones or role-play, never live calls, and a near-perfect criterion, such as giving name, address and problem to a mock dispatcher on 5 of 5 scenarios.

Emergency skills are the goals no one hopes to use. They also need the highest criteria on the IEP, because a student who gets the address right on only 4 of 5 tries might give the wrong one on the day it matters. This page gives 16 emergency goals in four groups, with illustrative baselines, a decision table and notes on teaching 911 to students with autism.

All practice uses a disconnected phone, a training phone, a phone app simulator or role-play. Never have a student dial 911 for practice. Coordinate with the school's safety plan and tell families what is being taught so home practice matches. The life skills IEP goals pillar covers the other safety goals.

Choosing an emergency goal

Student profile	Sub-skill	Measure	Data sheet
Cannot state address or a parent's phone number	Personal information	Items correct out of 4	Accuracy data sheet
Calls for help for small problems, or never	Recognizing emergencies	Correct sorts out of scenarios	Accuracy data sheet
Knows facts, has never practiced a call	The 911 call	Call steps independent	Task analysis data sheet
Shuts down or runs when police or medics arrive	Talking with first responders	Correct responses out of role-plays	Opportunity data sheet

Personal information goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
1. When asked, the student will state or show (speech, AAC or card) full name, street address, city and a parent's phone number with 4 of 4 correct on 5 consecutive probes.	2 of 4	Accuracy	Template
2. When an adult asks "Do you have ID?" in a role-play, the student will take out an ID or emergency card and hand it over on 5 of 5 trials.	Does not carry the card	Opportunities	Template
3. Using a phone, the student will find and call a saved emergency contact within 30 seconds on 5 of 5 trials.	Cannot find the contact	Task analysis	Template
4. Given a printed contact list, the student will find a named person and their number with 5 of 5 correct on 3 probes.	2 of 5	Accuracy	Template

A student who does not speak should have the information on an AAC page and a wallet card. Both count as correct responses. See the personal information goal hub for more.

Weak: "The student will learn their address."

Measurable: "When asked, the student will state or show full name, street address, city and a parent's phone number with 4 of 4 correct on 5 consecutive probes, measured by accuracy."

Recognizing an emergency

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
5. Given 12 scenario cards (fire, a person who will not wake up, a lost toy, a scraped knee), the student will sort "call 911" from "tell an adult" with 12 of 12 correct on 2 probes.	7 of 12	Accuracy	Template
6. Given 10 picture scenes, the student will name what is unsafe and say a safe response with 9 of 10 correct on 3 probes.	4 of 10	Accuracy	Template
7. When a practice smoke alarm sounds at home or in the training apartment, the student will leave the building and go to the meeting spot within 2 minutes on 3 of 3 drills.	Stays inside to collect items	Task analysis	Template
8. When an adult in a role-play falls and does not respond, the student will get another adult or start a practice 911 call within 30 seconds on 4 of 4 trials.	Waits or keeps working	Opportunities	Template

The hard part for many students is the middle ground: a nosebleed, a lost phone, a stranger at the door. Spend extra time on scenarios that are not emergencies, so the student does not call 911 for them.

Weak: "The student will know what an emergency is."

Measurable: "Given 12 scenario cards, the student will sort 'call 911' from 'tell an adult' with 12 of 12 correct on 2 probes, measured by accuracy."

The 911 call

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
9. Using a disconnected or training phone in a role-play, the student will dial 9-1-1, say the emergency, give name and address and answer 2 questions, 6 of 6 steps, on 5 of 5 scenarios.	2 of 6	Task analysis	Template
10. When the mock dispatcher asks, the student will give name, address and the problem with 3 of 3 parts correct on 5 consecutive scenarios.	1 of 3	Opportunities	Template
11. During a practice call, the student will stay on the line until the mock dispatcher says to hang up, for at least 2 minutes, on 4 of 4 scenarios.	Hangs up after 20 seconds	Opportunities	Template
12. On a locked smartphone, the student will open the emergency call screen from the lock screen, with no passcode, on 5 of 5 practice trials.	Does not know the feature	Task analysis	Template

Ask the local emergency communications center whether it supports text-to-911 in your area. If it does, students who do not speak can practice a texted report on a training device too.

Weak: "The student will call 911 in an emergency."

Measurable: "Using a disconnected phone in a role-play, the student will dial 9-1-1, say the emergency, give name and address and answer 2 questions, 6 of 6 steps, on 5 of 5 scenarios, measured by task analysis."

Talking with police and first responders

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
13. In a role-play with a school resource officer or community helper, the student will tell or show a card explaining communication needs on 4 of 4 trials.	Silent or leaves	Opportunities	Template
14. When a police officer asks for ID in a role-play, the student will keep hands visible, say "my ID is in my pocket," and hand it over slowly, 4 of 4 steps, on 3 of 3 trials.	Reaches quickly into a bag	Task analysis	Template
15. Given photos of 8 community helpers and 4 other adults, the student will pick who can help when lost or in trouble with 12 of 12 correct on 2 probes.	6 of 12	Accuracy	Template
16. When asked "Are you hurt?" by a medic in a role-play, the student will answer or point to the place on a body chart on 4 of 4 trials.	Does not answer	Opportunities	Template

Reporting pain and symptoms has its own page: reporting pain IEP goals.

Weak: "The student will cooperate with police."

Measurable: "In a role-play with a school resource officer, the student will tell or show a card explaining communication needs on 4 of 4 trials, measured on an opportunity data sheet."

Teaching 911 to students with autism

Students with autism often learn the steps quickly but struggle when the real call differs from practice. A few adjustments help:

Script, then vary. Start with a fixed script. Once the student says it on 3 tries in a row, change the dispatcher's questions and order.
Use video models. A short video of a peer making a practice call, shown before each session, makes the routine predictable.
Practice with noise. A real emergency is loud. Add background noise once the script is solid.
Keep a visual on the phone. A lock-screen card with name, address and "I have autism, I may not answer fast" helps the student and the dispatcher.
Plan for meltdowns. Write a calm-down step into the routine and practice it.

The autism IEP goals page covers related communication goals, and the IEP goals for autism hub collects templates. The autism glossary entry defines the eligibility category.

How to measure emergency goals

Use percent accuracy for personal information and scenario sorting, on the accuracy data sheet. Use task analysis for the practice call. Probe weekly until the criterion is met, then monthly for the rest of the year. Emergency skills fade without practice.

Use new scenarios on each probe. If the student sees the same 12 cards every week, the data will show memory, not judgment.

Adapting by age and support level

Student	Focus	Criterion example
K-2	Name, parent name, find a helper	3 of 3 facts on 5 probes
Grades 3 to 5	Address, phone number, sorting emergencies	12 of 12 scenarios
Middle school	Practice 911 calls, smoke alarm response	6 of 6 call steps on 5 scenarios
High school and transition	First responders, home-alone safety, phone features	4 of 4 ID steps on 3 role-plays

More templates are on the community safety goals page (59 templates) and the safety signs goal hub. Related guides: street crossing goals, home safety goals and fire drill goals. Check each draft in the goal checker.

The IEP must include goals for functional needs found in present levels.^[1] For a student who cannot yet get help in an emergency, these goals belong near the top of the list.

Frequently asked questions

How do I teach 911 without real calls?

Use a disconnected phone, a training phone or a simulator app, and an adult playing the dispatcher. Never dial the real number for practice. Tell families so home practice uses the same method.

What criterion should an emergency goal use?

Near 100%. Personal information and the call steps should be correct on 5 of 5 probes or 5 consecutive scenarios. A lower criterion leaves too much room for error in a real emergency.

Can a nonspeaking student learn to call 911?

Yes. Program name, address and common emergencies on the AAC device, carry a wallet card, and check whether text-to-911 is available locally. Practice with a mock dispatcher who asks yes or no questions.

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Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

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.