Konnor Vanatta, Peyton Manning Fan In Third Grade, Not Allowed To Wear No. 18 Jersey In School (WATCH)

Third-Grader Not Allowed To Wear Manning Jersey

An elementary school in Weld County District 6 has come under some controversy for an anti-gang policy that prohibits students from wearing specific numbers, including Broncos Peyton Manning's number 18 jersey.

Students can wear sports jerseys and other numbers, but to third-grade Weld County student Konnor Vanatta, 8, the news that he can't wear his hero's jersey number has been upsetting.

“Peyton Manning's been my favorite football player for a long time," Vanatta told FOX31. "They told me I couldn’t wear 18 anymore because it’s a gang number and I had to take it off.”

According to the Weld County School District 6 dress code manual, students are not allowed to wear the numbers 13, 14, 18, and their inverses, 31, 41, and 81 because of their gang affiliations. Also prohibited in the dress code are solid shirt or pants colors of red and blue and the displaying of bandanas, or shaved or "notched" eyebrows.

The number 18 is associated with the 18th Street Gang of southern California. Just last year, Greeley Police were able to arrest five but say they've been tracking their activity for the past 14 years.

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