Home safety IEP goals: fire, electrical, poisons, sharp objects

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Home safety IEP goals teach a student to avoid and respond to hazards at home: fire and smoke alarms, electrical outlets and appliances, poisons and medicine, sharp objects and who comes to the door. A strong goal names the hazard, the setting and a near-perfect criterion, such as leaving the house when the smoke alarm sounds on 3 of 3 drills.

Home safety skills decide how much supervision a student needs at home, now and as an adult. A teen who knows to leave at the smoke alarm, unplug a hair dryer before touching the outlet and leave unknown bottles alone can be trusted with more time and space. A student who does not yet have those skills needs them taught as directly as reading.

The 24 goals below are grouped by hazard, with illustrative baselines and template links. Criteria are high on purpose. A measurement section shows a full task analysis and a filled-in data sheet. Families: many of these goals are practiced best at home, and the school can send home the same steps and pictures. The life skills IEP goals pillar covers the rest of the safety domain.

Choosing a home safety goal

Student profile	Hazard area	Measure	Data sheet
Stays inside or hides when an alarm sounds	Fire and smoke alarms	Drill steps independent	Task analysis data sheet
Touches stoves, plugs or appliances unsafely	Kitchen and electrical	Safe actions out of opportunities	Opportunity data sheet
Tastes or handles unknown liquids and pills	Poisons and medicine	Correct sorts or refusals	Accuracy data sheet
Grabs knives or scissors by the blade	Sharp objects	Steps done safely	Task analysis data sheet
Opens the door to anyone	Doors, locks and visitors	Safe responses out of trials	Opportunity data sheet

Fire and smoke alarm goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
1. When a smoke alarm sounds during a home or training apartment drill, the student will stop, leave by the planned exit and go to the outside meeting spot within 2 minutes, 6 of 6 steps, on 3 of 3 drills.	2 of 6 steps, stopped to get a tablet	Task analysis	Template
2. Given photos of 8 fire hazards (towel on the stove, overloaded outlet, candle near curtains), the student will name the hazard and the fix with 8 of 8 correct on 3 probes.	3 of 8	Accuracy	Template
3. Once a month, with an adult, the student will press the test button on the smoke alarm and report if it does not beep, on 3 of 3 months.	Has never tested	Task analysis	Template
4. In a role-play where clothes catch fire, the student will stop, drop and roll on 5 of 5 trials.	1 of 5	Opportunities	Template
5. When smoke is shown in a drill (a gray sheet held at head height), the student will crawl low to the exit on 4 of 4 drills.	Walks upright	Opportunities	Template

School drills are covered on the fire drill and lockdown goals page.

Weak: "The student will know fire safety."

Measurable: "When a smoke alarm sounds during a home drill, the student will stop, leave by the planned exit and go to the meeting spot within 2 minutes, 6 of 6 steps, on 3 of 3 drills, measured by task analysis."

Kitchen and electrical goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
6. After cooking, the student will turn off every burner and check each knob is at OFF on 10 of 10 cooking sessions.	6 of 10	Opportunities	Template
7. While cooking, the student will turn pot handles toward the back of the stove on 10 of 10 pots.	4 of 10	Task analysis	Template
8. To take hot food out of an oven or microwave, the student will use oven mitts on 10 of 10 opportunities.	5 of 10	Task analysis	Template
9. To unplug an appliance, the student will hold the plug, not the cord, with dry hands on 10 of 10 trials.	Pulls the cord on 7 of 10	Opportunities	Template
10. Given 10 photos of appliances near water (hair dryer by a full sink, toaster by the faucet), the student will name the safe action with 10 of 10 correct on 2 probes.	5 of 10	Accuracy	Template

Cooking safety in a classroom kitchen is also covered in teaching cooking in a life skills classroom.

Weak: "The student will be safe in the kitchen."

Measurable: "After cooking, the student will turn off every burner and check each knob is at OFF on 10 of 10 cooking sessions, measured on an opportunity data sheet."

Poison and medicine goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
11. Given 12 household products, the student will read the label and sort "safe to touch" from "do not touch" (POISON, WARNING, CAUTION) with 12 of 12 correct on 3 probes.	7 of 12	Accuracy	Template
12. Given 8 pairs of look-alike medicine and candy, the student will point to the medicine and say "ask an adult" with 8 of 8 correct on 3 probes.	4 of 8	Accuracy	Template
13. When the student finds pills or a medicine bottle, the student will not touch it and will tell an adult on 4 of 4 staged finds.	Picks up on 3 of 4	Opportunities	Template
14. Before using a cleaning product, the student will match the product to the job using a picture chart and wear gloves on 4 of 5 chores.	Uses any product found	Accuracy	Template
15. Given a printed list, the student will say where the poison help number is kept (fridge card or phone contact) and point to it on 3 of 3 probes.	Does not know	Opportunities	Template

Students taking medicine at home or school follow the routine set by their family, doctor and nurse. Those goals are on the medication goals page.

Weak: "The student will stay away from dangerous chemicals."

Measurable: "Given 12 household products, the student will read the label and sort 'safe to touch' from 'do not touch' with 12 of 12 correct on 3 probes, measured by accuracy."

Sharp object goals

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
16. When cutting food, the student will use a claw grip, keep fingers behind the blade and cut on a board, 5 of 5 steps, on 4 of 5 sessions.	2 of 5 steps	Task analysis	Template
17. When handing scissors or a knife to someone, the student will hold it by the closed blade with the handle out on 5 of 5 trials.	1 of 5	Opportunities	Template
18. Given 10 kitchen items, the student will sort hot, sharp and safe items with 10 of 10 correct on 3 probes.	6 of 10	Accuracy	Template
19. When the student finds broken glass or a loose sharp object, the student will not touch it and will tell an adult on 3 of 3 staged finds.	Picks it up	Opportunities	Template

Weak: "The student will use knives safely."

Measurable: "When cutting food, the student will use a claw grip, keep fingers behind the blade and cut on a board, 5 of 5 steps, on 4 of 5 sessions, measured by task analysis."

Doors, locks and visitors

Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Measure	Template
20. When someone knocks or rings, the student will check through the window or doorbell camera and only open for a known person, on 4 of 4 trials.	Opens right away on 4 of 4	Opportunities	Template
21. When leaving home, the student will lock the door and check for keys, on 9 of 10 departures by family check sheet.	4 of 10	Opportunities	Template
22. After arriving home alone, the student will lock the door and text a check-in message to a parent within 5 minutes, 4 of 4 steps, on 5 of 5 days.	Forgets to check in	Task analysis	Template
23. When something goes wrong at home (power out, a strange noise, a leak), the student will call or text a trusted adult on 4 of 4 role-plays.	Waits or hides	Opportunities	Template
24. Each night, the student will run a 6-item safety check (stove off, doors locked, candles out, iron unplugged, windows shut, phone charging) on 9 of 10 nights.	2 of 6 items	Task analysis	Template

When something is an emergency rather than a problem, the emergency IEP goals page covers calling 911.

Weak: "The student will be safe home alone."

Measurable: "After arriving home alone, the student will lock the door and text a check-in message to a parent within 5 minutes, 4 of 4 steps, on 5 of 5 days, measured by task analysis."

How to measure home safety goals

Use task analysis for routines with steps (drills, nightly checks, cutting). Use the opportunities method for single safe responses, and percent accuracy for sorting labels and pictures.

Probe frequency: practice home drills monthly at most, and pair them with weekly picture or role-play probes at school. Staged finds (pills, sharp objects) once every 2 weeks are enough. Nightly checks use a family check sheet. After the criterion is met, probe monthly for the rest of the year.

Here is the 6-step smoke alarm task analysis from goal 1, with a filled-in task analysis data sheet for a fictional student. Drills 1 to 3 were at school in a practice room; drills 4 to 6 were at home with the family scoring.

Step	Drill 1	Drill 2	Drill 3	Drill 4	Drill 5	Drill 6
1. Stop what you are doing	V	G	I	I	I	I
2. Leave items behind	P	V	G	I	I	I
3. Go to the planned exit	G	G	I	G	I	I
4. Feel the door before opening	M	M	G	G	I	I
5. Walk outside, close the door	G	I	I	I	I	I
6. Go to the meeting spot and wait	V	V	I	I	I	I
Steps independent	0 of 6	1 of 6	4 of 6	4 of 6	6 of 6	6 of 6

Drill 4 was the first at home, and step 3 slipped because the exit was new. By drill 5 the student completed all 6 steps. One more home drill at 6 of 6 meets the criterion.

Adapting by age and support level

Student	Focus	Criterion example
K-2	Don't touch: stoves, plugs, pills, knives; tell an adult	8 of 8 look-alike pairs
Grades 3 to 5	Smoke alarm response, label words, door safety	6 of 6 drill steps on 3 drills
Middle school	Cooking safety, home alone check-in	10 of 10 burners off
High school and transition	Nightly safety check, cleaning products, problem calls	6 of 6 items on 9 of 10 nights

Templates are on the community safety goals, the transition independent living goals and the functional skills hub. Related guides: what to do if lost goals and independent living goals. Check each draft in the goal checker.

Goals must address the functional needs in present levels.^[1] For families, the state Parent Training and Information Center can help with questions about the IEP process.^[2]

Frequently asked questions

Can home safety goals be practiced at school?

Many can, with pictures, labels, a classroom kitchen and role-play. Full drills and nightly checks work best at home or in a training apartment. Families can score a short check sheet so the team sees home data.

What criterion should a home safety goal use?

Near 100 percent over several trials, such as 10 of 10 burners off or 3 of 3 drills. A skill the student does most of the time is not yet safe enough for home without close supervision.

How can parents help with home safety goals?

Use the same steps and pictures as school, practice one hazard at a time, and keep a simple chart. Run a home fire drill once a month and tell the teacher how it went.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Center for Parent Information and Resources, CPIR

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.