PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Portland family said a bus driver roughed up a third-grade girl during a bus ride last week.

Relatives of Da'Shayla Spears said Monday that she was riding the bus from Rigler Elementary School to an after-school program in northeast Portland.

Da'Shayla said boys were throwing books around and one landed on her seat, so she threw it back. When the bus stopped and she tried to get off, Da'Shayla said the driver grabbed her waist and pulled her hair.

"I tried to get away and he said, 'When I'm talking to you, you shut up and listen,'" she said.

Da'Shayla's family reported the incident to the Rigler Elementary School principal. School leaders have asked First Student, the contract bus company used by Portland schools, that the driver be taken off all Portland school bus routes.

First Student Bus Company responded with the following statement:

"We are conducting our own investigation to determine the details of this incident. The driver has been suspended pending our findings. We regret any concern this may have caused, as providing safe transportation is a responsibility we at First Student take very seriously."

Dana Spears-Talbert, Da'Shayla's aunt, said the driver shouldn't have been behind the wheel in the first place.

"What's their process for hiring people, because my kids depend on the bus system," Spears-Talbert said.

First Student officials said drivers must pass a background, check a physical exam and a drug and alcohol screening before they are hired.

The Spears family said they're still seeking answers, but representatives from First Student have not called them yet. They said they're relieved Da'Shayla is bouncing back from the incident.

"Sometimes I don't want to ride the bus, but now there's a new bus driver, so I feel OK," Da'Shayla said.

Family Says Bus Driver Roughed Up Third-Grader