Florida teacher removed from class over white nationalist podcast

Podcast promoted racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim views, report says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Citrus County School District has removed a teacher from the classroom in response to a Huffington Post report that she secretly hosted a white nationalist podcast during which she boasted about her views spilling over into the classroom.

Dayanna Volitich, 25, who teaches social studies at Crystal River Middle School, won't return to the classroom until the school district completes its investigation into her conduct, Superintendent Sandra Himmel wrote in a statement Sunday.

Among other things, the Huffington Post report found that Volitich, who goes by the alias "Tiana Dalichov," endorsed white supremacists, promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and suggested that Muslims should be wiped off the planet.

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In a Feb. 26 podcast, Volitich agreed with the comments of a guest who stated that people of different races don't possess the same intelligence. "In the same episode, Volitich boasted about bringing her white nationalist beliefs into the classroom and hiding her ideology from administrators," the report said.

Shortly after the Huffington Post notified the school district of its findings, the podcast's website was scrubbed and Volitich's "Tiana Dalichov" Twitter account indicated she "might disappear for a while."

While Volitich did not answer multiple messages seeking comment left by the website, she did issue a statement to WFLA News Channel 8 that characterized the views promoted on her podcast and social media accounts as satire:

“None of the statements released about my being a white nationalist or white supremacist have any truth to them, nor are my political beliefs injected into my teaching of social studies curriculum. While operating under the Russian pseudonym ‘Tiana Dalichov’ on social media and the Unapologetic Podcast, I employed political satire and exaggeration, mainly to the end of attracting listeners and followers, and generating conversation about the content discussed between myself and my guests. The views ‘Tiana Dalichov’ espouses do not pervade my professional career. As an adult, my decisions are my own, and my family has nothing whatsoever to do with my social media accounts or my podcast. From them, I humbly ask for forgiveness, as it was never my intention to cause them grief while engaging in a hobby on my personal time. All future questions about the current situation should be directed to my attorney. I cannot comment further, due to the ongoing school board investigation.”