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Cheers to the unidentified employee of Butler School District. His detection of a child’s injury uncovered what appears to be a horrible series of physical abuses.

Tonya L. Schmidt, 33, of Butler is accused of holding a 6-year-old girl’s hands over a gas stove flame. And when the girl’s hands blistered, Schmidt popped the blisters.

Then she sent the girl off to school.

The child, a daughter of Schmidt’s boyfriend, did not get medical help until after she got to school and authorities there spotted her injuries. Immediately they notified police and took the child to Butler Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The pediatrician who treated her diagnosed second-degree burns that he described as “very painful,” according to Butler police Capt. David Dalcamo.

The doctor found another injury to one of the girl’s ears. The girl said her “Mama T” struck her with a cooking spoon. She told investigators of abusive incidents that went back three years.

Police on Wednesday arrested Schmidt on felony charges of aggravated assault and child endangerment, and misdemeanor charges of simple assault and reckless endangerment. She was jailed on $25,000 bond.

In this instance the system worked exactly as it should. A defenseless child was freed from a private hell. School officials should feel good about that, and the community should be grateful.

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The objective, they said, was to quash bullying at the middle school in West Allegheny School District just south of Pittsburgh International Airport.

The anti-bullying workshop required middle-schoolers to answer personal questions — verbally, while standing defenseless in front of classmates.

One by one, the pupils were required to step into a circle and confess family secrets — things like sexual orientation, religion and financial issues. They were instructed to disclose the education levels of their family members, drug and alcohol usage and household marital status.

Middle school juveniles represent a delicate age group, just becoming aware of sensitive subjects and with whom they should discuss them.

These matters have always been the domain of parents and guardians, not the schools. The exception to that rule — the only exception — should be when evidence suggests the possibility of abuse, injury or danger to the child as in the above Cheer.

It’s likely the circle of classmates included a few of the bullies. What do you think they might do with a fresh load of their classmates’ coerced disclosures?

It’s ironic that they called this a “Kindness Workshop.” Now the biggest bully appears to be the school district itself.

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It’s exciting to learn that the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau is making progress toward a county sports commission.

President Jack Cohen reported Thursday the sports commission’s aim is to bring more athletic tournaments to the county.

Cohen named some of the individuals involved including Sid Bream, a Zelienople resident and former Major League Baseball player; Vonda Wright, medical director of the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township; Matt Herr, executive director of the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex; and Seneca Valley athletic director Heather Lewis.

It should be obvious that Butler County includes some unique sports venues including the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, which likely will become a mecca of amateur hockey. There’s Moraine State Park, with its ample space and bicycle trails, which already hosts a disc golf championship and several sailing events. There’s the North Washington Rodeo and the Bantam Jeep Festival, where mudding can be considered an athletic event.

Kelly Automotive Park, another local gem, can host baseball championship games.

The new sports commission could move in any direction, or in several directions, to find initial success to build on. Cohen said members will meet next month to organize and begin discussions.

We wish them prosperity in this new venture.