A Fort Worth ISD elementary school teacher has been fired after she was arrested for an incident involving two children.

According to Benbrook police, Gail Patterson, a teacher at Westpark Elementary School, grabbed two students by their throats. The incident happened on Aug. 20 during the school day, police said. 

Patterson, 61, was arrested on Sept. 15 following an investigation. She has since been released from jail. 

FWISD said Patterson was placed on administrative leave in August following the incident and is no longer employed by the district.

The students, whose ages weren't shared, are a boy and a girl. Patterson faces two charges of injury to a child. 

Lawyer for children's families calls for accountability

Attorney Ty Stimpson, who represents the children's families, is calling for the implementation of safeguards, staff training and accountability to ensure an incident like this never happens again.

"This is a profound betrayal of trust. When you send a child to school, you expect them to be nurtured and protected, not victimized by their teacher," Stimpson said. "While it can be a challenge to take on legal action against a school district, Fort Worth ISD has established policies that must be followed. We are guiding these families through this process, ensuring that the students' complaints and grievances are addressed. We have requested that the teacher be terminated and permanently barred from returning to any school in the district."

Westpark Elementary School is located in Benbrook, but is a part of Fort Worth ISD.