Funeral services for TMS principal Mark Altman are Thursday in Kansas City, Kan. There will be no school Thursday at the middle school, while Tonganoxie High School students will have a “remote learning day” Thursday. The elementary school will have a regular school day.

Altman, 59, had been an administrator at the middle school since 2006, first as an assistant principal and then principal. Altman was taken to the hospital following a medical emergency at the school late in the school day Wednesday, Jan. 20. He died Friday at a Kansas City, Kan., hospital.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Cathedral of St. Peter in KCK. Porter Funeral Home will have a livestream of the service on its website, porterfuneralhome.com.

Altman was born in Hays and graduated from Logan High School. He played basketball at Colby Community College before continuing his education at Fort Hays State University.

Before joining the staff at TMS, Altman taught and coached at Stockton, Lebo and Rossville. His first administrative job came at Wabaunsee High School. He was then principal at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School in Shawnee before becoming assistant principal and athletics director at Raytown High School in suburban Kansas City, Mo.

Altman’s full obituary can be found at the funeral home’s website. Beneath it is a link to the livestream of Thursday’s services.

Rev. Matthew Wilke at Tonganoxie United Methodist Church provided a message Sunday on the church’s Facebook page. He said a prayer of comfort in honor of Altman and shared some stories about him thanks to some thoughts TMS teacher Kathy Harrell had shared with Wilke.

USD 464 Supt. Loren Feldkamp released a statement Monday on social media explaining Thursday’s school plans. Thursday’s funeral services will be live streamed at the Tonganoxie Performing Arts Center for USD 464 staff members wanting to participate in the services in light of limited capacity attendance at the funeral.

Kasi Brown will serve as interim principal at the middle school for the rest of the school year.

Brown posted an open to letter to Tonganoxie parents on social media Monday. She reminded parents that the school’s counselors and mental health team were available to talk to students at anytime for grief guidance.

Brown has been serving as assistant principal at TMS.

Kalli Kruse will be joining the middle school as interim assistant principal. Kruse, a fifth-grade teacher at TES, also is licensed in administration, Brown noted in the release.