Bunnie Xo Fires Back After Tenn. Middle School Denies Suspending a Girl

Strong words were exchanged between Tennessee mom Delisa Patrick and the Rutherford County School district last week, with each doubling down on a story that starkly contrasts the other's assessment of events.

In the meantime, Jelly Roll's wife Bunnie Xo is working through both stories in her effort to support a middle school aged girl who's a big fan of her and her country superstar husband.

The whole thing started over the past week, when Patrick shared a since-made-private social media post alleging that her daughter Kalista was suspended for drawing pictures of Jelly and Bunnie as part of a class assignment about influential figures. Her story went viral.

• Patrick says 14-year-old Kalista chose to draw Bunnie and Jelly because of the obstacles they've overcome. A teacher objected, saying that some elements of their past (prison, drugs, sex work) made them inappropriate choices.
• However, Kalista drew the photos anyway. Her artwork is available to see here.
• The assignment, which took place at a school since revealed to be Christiana Middle School, was to draw people who influenced you.

The star couple themselves caught wind of the story and wanted to help, and Bunnie personally reached out to the Patrick family, even putting a limited line of t-shirts with designs inspired by Kalista's drawings on her website. The proceeds were earmarked to benefit her young fan.

The shirts started flying off the virtual shelves, but Bunnie halted sales after an hour, as conflicting stories were beginning to come out, and there were some points of disagreement between the Patrick family and school district about what happened -- and if Kalista was punished for her drawings at all.

Related: See the Pictures of Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo That Reportedly Got a Girl Suspended

As early as Wednesday (March 13), the Rutherford County School district was pushing back on Delisa Patrick's story. In a recent update, they took their argument a step further, asking her -- and Bunnie -- to take down their postings about the alleged incident.

"We have confirmed that no student has been punished, reprimanded or suspended for any drawings of a celebrity. We have also reached out [to] the original poster and asked for her to remove the inaccurate social media post," the school district's statement reads, alleging that the story has resulted in "threats and harassing statements directed at the school overnight."

So much so, the district claims, that the school required "additional law enforcement resources" when school was in session the following day.

What Has Bunnie Xo Said in Response to the Rutherford County School District's Statement?

Bunnie replied to the school's social media post, identifying herself as an "original poster" but saying that she won't be taking down her comments on the issue until she finds out for herself who's telling the truth.

"We are being told that you guys are lying because you're being called out," she writes. "The parents have proof that their child was suspended for three days over this."

She also says that the district never reached out to per personally, as they claimed they did, and underscores that she simply wants to support the child in question. "Someone needs to be the voice for children & if that makes me the bad person. So be it," Bunnie concludes.

In a separate post on her own page, Bunnie updated her followers on why froze the merch sales after they'd been up for only an hour. "A lot of things were coming forward about the mom. Tons of accusations with zero documentation," she explains.

"I too have toxic family so none of what they've said has moved me in any way. And everything the mom has said about the school has been backed by numerous other parents. But being a whistleblower for that school was never my intention," Bunnie continues. "It's always been about this little girl having a voice."

After speaking to Kalista, who she describes as a "sweet baby," Bunnie says she's confident that there's a reason why she was placed in the young girl's life, and she's determined to keep supporting her.

As the details continue to come out, Bunnie says she's working with her accountant and lawyer to put the proceeds from shirt sales in a "trust fund" for the young girl. "I also want the record to reflect that her mom has never once asked me for money," Bunnie adds. "She's always maintained that this is about her daughter."

The Patrick family has said that Kalista has been targeted by bullies, even leading to broken ribs and a broken wrist. Bunnie has previously said that Kalista's story reminds her of her own: After facing abuse as a child, Bunnie turned to bullying other kids, perpetuating a "vicious cycle" that she's worked hard as an adult to break.