#MNPSVoices: Quincy Ingle, TN Safe Schools Specialist

From the Metro Nashville Public Schools:

February 22, 2021

#MNPSVoices: Quincy Ingle, TN Safe Schools Specialist

Quincy Ingle has been connected to education and sports for as long as he can remember, so it is no surprise that he has made a career out of serving Metro Nashville Public Schools families for the past 14 years, on and off the field.

Ingle grew up in a close-knit family where academics and sports played a huge role. He has fond memories of spending time on the campus of Tennessee State University as a child when his mother was a student-athlete there.

“I owe a lot of my knowledge, wisdom, and understanding the importance of education to my mother and grandmother,” he said.

Ingle witnessed his mother as an undergraduate student and as a parent matriculating through college, earning a doctorate degree and having a successful career as a teacher.

Ingle himself is a product of MNPS, where he played football for the Hunters Lane High School Warriors before being awarded a scholarship to play football and basketball at Cumberland University. He graduated from Cumberland in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

He started his MNPS career in 2007 as the district’s license and certification specialist in the Human Resources Department.

After nearly 10 years of working with new teachers and administrators, Ingle transitioned over to a charter school before returning to the district’s central office, where he currently serves as the TN Safe Schools Specialist in the Student Services Department.

In his current role, Ingle works with the First-time Drug Offenders program as well as overseeing the Rites of Passage male mentoring program for grades four through nine. The goal of the program is to help reduce high chronic absenteeism in schools, negative behavior, and high suspension and expulsion rates within the district overall.

His responsibilities include but are not limited to supporting schools with setting up the program and recruiting and training facilitators to conduct the in-house weekly sessions. Ingle also works with community partnerships to provide supports for each school’s program.

“I’m grateful to my supervisor, Stephanie Davis, for the vision she had for the mentoring program. I believe this program can be an asset to our male students, and I really appreciate the backing that our district administrators have provided to get the program up and running in so many schools,” Ingle said.

“I want the young men to know that our meetings are a safe space for them to express themselves, vent, and provide leadership to each other that is applicable within the classroom.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mentoring program was active in 20 MNPS schools. Five schools are currently active in the virtual setting, with an additional 20 schools prepared to launch the program as in-person school returns.

One of the many supporters of the male mentoring program is Ashford Hughes, MNPS’s Executive Officer for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

“Quincy is a committed district leader who is focused on filling in the gaps for schools and students through high-quality and consistent mentorship engagements,” Hughes said. “He is dedicated to being an example and supporting student development through social skills, health, academic achievement, and cultural identity. Quincy’s leadership in the development and growth of districtwide mentorship implementation is within itself an equity priority to aid in closing current opportunity gaps.”

During the pandemic, Ingle and his department have been supporting schools by helping high school students with the completion of Tennessee Promise applications, social emotional concerns, issuing laptops and hotspots, and more.

When Ingle is not mentoring young men, he can be found coaching them on the MNPS football field, where he’s entering his 11th year of coaching, including the last six at Haynes Middle School. He also enjoys traveling and spending time with his daughter and family.

This press release was produced by the Metro Nashville Public Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.