Regardless how the special education programs of a school district are organized, in most cases, one person called the special education director is in charge of coordinating all special education services. The director is often responsible for the appointment of surrogate parents or assigns the responsibility to another staff person.

There are also two state government departments responsible for offering educational services for students at certain state schools:

• The Department of Education is the educational provider for students at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf and the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind.

• The Department of Corrections is responsible for the education of students placed in juvenile correctional facilities at Red Wing, Thistledew, and Mesabi.