A social studies teacher has resigned after being outed as the host of a white nationalist podcast. Dayanna Volitich submitted her resignation to the Citrus County School District, said Assistant Superintendent Mike Mullen in a statement obtained by Law&Crime. It’s not final yet under policy. A resignation is not official until the school board formally accepts it. In this case, it will be at the next school board meeting scheduled for April 10.
“As this is still an ongoing investigation, no further comment can be made,” Mullen wrote.
Once the resignation is finalized, she will no longer be employed at Crystal River Middle School. (See update below)
This all started last month after a HuffPo report linked Volitich to the white nationalist podcast “Unapologetic.” Reporters noted the similarities between her and the host Tiana Dalichov. For example, pictures of a woman on Dalichov’s social media accounts looked a lot like Volitich. Also, their names shared most of the same letters, and the same number of syllables. A website promoting Dalichov showed that she shared biographical information with the Volitich, such as age (25) and city of residence (Crystal City, Florida).
Oh, and Dalichov also identified herself as a teacher. She discussed her work in a Feb. 26 episode of the podcast, and argued that “science” proved that certain races are smarter than others. When discussing her job, she said she lied to the principal about inserting her beliefs into class. She agreed with a guest’s suggestion that more white supremacists become teachers and spread their viewpoint. Dalichov has also talked negatively about Jewish people and Muslims.
After the report, Volitich was removed from teaching students, while the school district investigated whether she had violated policy. She said it is her on the show, but pushed back on the white nationalist label. Through an attorney, she insisted that the podcast was just “political satire and exaggeration.” Describing the show as a “hobby,” her statement to CNN read that “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.”
Update – April 10, 5:37 p.m.: The school board has accepted Volitich’s resignation.
“The Citrus County School Board has accepted the resignation of Ms. Volitich. The district will close the investigation this week and notify Ms. Volitich of the findings,” said Assistant Superintendent Mike Mullen in a statement obtained by Law&Crime. “Pursuant to state statute 1012.31 (3)(a) Ms. Volitich will have 10 days (from receipt of the findings) to respond before the investigation becomes public record.”
[Image via Crystal River Middle School]
