diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/tests/test_item.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/tests/test_item.py
index 3bc3982f99..3632fd4d75 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/tests/test_item.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/tests/test_item.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ from xmodule.capa_module import CapaDescriptor
 from xmodule.modulestore import ModuleStoreEnum
 from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
 from xmodule.modulestore.tests.django_utils import ModuleStoreTestCase, TEST_DATA_SPLIT_MODULESTORE
-from xmodule.modulestore.tests.factories import ItemFactory, LibraryFactory, check_mongo_calls
+from xmodule.modulestore.tests.factories import ItemFactory, LibraryFactory, check_mongo_calls, CourseFactory
 from xmodule.x_module import STUDIO_VIEW, STUDENT_VIEW
 from xblock.exceptions import NoSuchHandlerError
 from xblock_django.user_service import DjangoXBlockUserService
@@ -310,11 +310,14 @@ class GetItemTest(ItemTest):
         )
 
 
+@ddt.ddt
 class DeleteItem(ItemTest):
     """Tests for '/xblock' DELETE url."""
-    def test_delete_static_page(self):
+    @ddt.data(ModuleStoreEnum.Type.mongo, ModuleStoreEnum.Type.split)
+    def test_delete_static_page(self, store):
+        course = CourseFactory.create(default_store=store)
         # Add static tab
-        resp = self.create_xblock(category='static_tab')
+        resp = self.create_xblock(category='static_tab', parent_usage_key=course.location)
         usage_key = self.response_usage_key(resp)
 
         # Now delete it. There was a bug that the delete was failing (static tabs do not exist in draft modulestore).
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/split_mongo/split_draft.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/split_mongo/split_draft.py
index 2be612337b..b70cb28654 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/split_mongo/split_draft.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/modulestore/split_mongo/split_draft.py
@@ -213,7 +213,11 @@ class DraftVersioningModuleStore(SplitMongoModuleStore, ModuleStoreDraftAndPubli
                 parent_loc = self.get_parent_location(branched_location)
                 SplitMongoModuleStore.delete_item(self, branched_location, user_id)
                 # publish parent w/o child if deleted element is direct only (not based on type of parent)
-                if branch == ModuleStoreEnum.BranchName.draft and branched_location.block_type in DIRECT_ONLY_CATEGORIES:
+                if (
+                        branch == ModuleStoreEnum.BranchName.draft and
+                        branched_location.block_type in DIRECT_ONLY_CATEGORIES and parent_loc
+                ):
+                    # will publish if its not an orphan
                     self.publish(parent_loc.version_agnostic(), user_id, blacklist=EXCLUDE_ALL, **kwargs)
 
     def _map_revision_to_branch(self, key, revision=None):