Political correctness run amok as New York City schools ban terms like 'dinosaur' and 'Halloween' on tests

In a political correctness crackdown, the New York City Department of Education is knocking terms like 'dinosaur' back to the Stone Age.

The prehistoric creatures are among 50 terms banned from use on tests administered to students by the city.

Others include birthdays (because Jehovah's Witnesses don’t observe them), class-indentifying terms like wealth and poverty, Halloween (as it may imply paganism) - and even dancing.

Restrictions: The New York City Department of Education is proposing a ban on up to 50 words to ensure political correctness on tests

Why dinosaurs? Because they may upset those who don’t believe in evolution.

The department said in a report obtained by the New York Post that it is taking these steps because such words 'could evoke unpleasant emotions in the students'.

The document goes on: 'Some of these topics may be perfectly acceptable in other contexts but do not belong in a city- or state-wide assessment'.

The Post reported that various states are introducing their own lists of banned topics, but New York City's is nearly two times longer.

Dirty word: The Department of Education wants to outlaw the word dinosaur because it may upset those who don¿t believe in evolution

Other terms on the prohibited list include terrorism - because it is too horrific – along with divorce and any references to disease.

An education department spokeswoman told the Post that the list is a way for students to 'complete practice exams with distraction'.

She insisted that the guidelines are not an attempt at censorship by the Department of Education.

Education experts have been left shaking their heads over the matter.