HollyMatkinCrystal River, FL – A middle school social studies teacher accused of operating a white nationalist podcast under an alias has been suspended from the classroom, and is under investigation by school administrators.
Dayanna Volitich, 25, did not deny accusations that she was the voice behind the podcast, “Unapologetic,” which she conducted under the online alias of Tiana Dalichov, WFLA reported.
Volitich also operated a related Twitter account, and contributed to various white nationalist websites, WFTS reported.
The Citrus County School District confirmed that a Crystal River Middle School teacher had been “removed from the classroom,” in a Facebook post on Sunday, and said that an investigation into the allegations was underway.
“I’ve had a couple instances where, you know, parents were concerned,” Volitich said during her now-deleted Feb. 26 podcast episode, which was posted by the Huffington Post. “I had one at the beginning of this year who emailed the principal over my head and basically, you know, told her, ‘I’m worried that your teacher is injecting political bias into her teaching.’”
“The principal came to me and she was like, ‘I’m not worried. Should I be worried?’ And I’m like, ‘No,’” Volitich said. “And she believed me and she backed off.”
Volitich said that more individuals from “our side” needed to become teachers, in order to covertly perpetuate white nationalist views to children.
“They don’t have to be vocal about their views, but get in there!” she said. “Be more covert, and just start taking over those places.”
She explained that after she had been teaching in her current school district for approximately one year, she had much less oversight by school administrators.
During her first year at the district, Volitich said she was cautious when administrators would come into her classroom to observe.
“I danced, you know, like a little puppet, and I waited until they were gone,” she recalled.
She claimed she even let her students in on her charade.
“I said, ‘Guys, when they’re in here, I’m gonna be different than I usually am. I just don’t want you to be shocked, I want you to just play along,’” Volitich said.
“This year, it seems like they’re satisfied that I did the dog-and-pony show for them when they were in, so they don’t seem to really follow me around as much this year, which means I have a little more freedom,” she said.
Volitich acknowledged that she was still very aware that administrators would be listening, and that she had become more “underhanded” when discussing more politically-charged issues with students.
She argued that scientific data has confirmed that “northeast Asians and whites…they have higher aggregate IQs.”
Volitich was also accused of making anti-Semitic tweets on her under her pseudonym Twitter account, and referred to the “JQ” as being “incredibly complex,” The Huffington Post reported.
The acronym stands for the “Jewish Question,” which is an anti-Semitic concept that Jewish people impede the cohesion of society. It also refers to a conspiracy theory that Jewish people have too much control over politics, banks, and the media, the Huffington Post reported.
On Jan. 31, she tweeted that she was reading a book by anti-Semitic author Kevin Macdonald.
“Only a few pages in…and my mind is already blown,” she wrote.
“…the JQ is incredibly complex. If you’re truly open to exploring it, I’ll send you some resources privately,” she said in a Twitter on Feb. 18.
During her Feb. 26 episode, Volitich’s guest mentioned “closet Red Ice listeners,” which refers to a white supremacist media company that promotes denial of the Holocaust and ethno-nationalism, CNN reported.
“I do hear from teachers all the time that are closet Red Ice listeners that support what we do,” the guest told Volitich in the podcast.
“Well, I am absolutely one of them, then,” Volitich replied.
The Huffington Post noted that Volitich repeatedly promoted neo-Nazis and white supremacists and advocated for the eradication of Muslims on her social media accounts.
The “Unapologetic” podcasts and Dalichov’s social media accounts have since been deleted, according to multiple news outlets.
Volitich issued a statement through her attorney on Sunday, and confirmed that she had operated under the pseudonym of Tiana Dalichov, WFLA reported.
“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,” Volitich said in the statement. “The views ‘Tiana Dalichov’ espouses do not pervade my professional career.”
She attempted to justify her content as being nothing more than “satire” and a “hobby on my personal time.”
“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,” she said. “I cannot comment further, due to the ongoing school board investigation.”
Assistant Superintendent Michael Mullen confirmed that Volitich is still employed at the school, but that she “does not have contact with students while the investigation is being conducted,” CNN reported.