A Florida social studies teacher has been removed from the classroom after it was discovered that she has been secretly hosting a podcast that spewed white nationalist propaganda.
According to the Huffington Post, Dayanna Volitich taught at the Crystal River Middle School by day, then spent her free time producing her podcast “Unapologetic.” Using the pseudonym “Tiana Dalichov,” she even bragged about her views infiltrating the classroom.
In her most recent episode, for example, Volitich interviewed a guest who believed that diversity in schools was wrong. Volitich agreed and argued that science had proven that white races are much smarter than others.
During the same episode, she discussed an incident in which she lied to the school’s principal after parents complained about her bringing her problematic political views to the classroom.
“She believed me and backed off,” she said in the episode.
Volitich started to delete her content once the Huffington Post began asking questions, but the school has already started to investigate the allegations.
“On Friday, March 2, 2018, the Citrus County School District was made aware [by a Huffington Post reporter] of a concerning podcast,” said Citrus County School District Superintendent Sandra Himmel in a statement. “The Human Resources department was notified and an investigation was initiated immediately. The teacher has been removed from the classroom and the investigation is ongoing.”
According to NBC News, Volitich did not deny operating the podcast, which she said she did so under the fake name (Tiana Dalichov). She also explained that she “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.”
Volitich also denied being a white nationalist.
“The views ‘Tiana Dalichov’ espouses do not pervade my professional career,” she added. “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.”