Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) defended his parental rights agenda, criticized Democratic gubernatorial challenger state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-District 49) and announced plans to reduce classroom screen time during an October 9 appearance at the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit in Dallas.
Speaking at the summit’s “Welcome to Texas Breakfast: Boots on the Ground” session, Abbott highlighted school choice legislation, teacher pay increases and restrictions on diversity, “equity” and inclusion policies.
“None are more important than insisting and injecting into every part of our education component, and that is parental power,” Abbott said.
🚨DALLAS, TEXAS🚨Gov. Greg Abbott SLAMMED Gina Hinojosa over her votes on boys competing in girls’ sports and school gender transitions. At the Moms for Liberty Summit, Abbott declared, “We must ensure I get re-elected and we defeat Hinojosa.”
@DallasExpress
@Carlos__Turcios https://t.co/052hv0OrxI— Carlos Turcios (@Carlos__Turcios) October 10, 2026
Abbott said parents know what is best for their children’s education.
Abbott argued that parents should control their children’s educational pathways, whether through public schools, private schools or homeschooling, and have access to curriculum and school libraries.
Lawmakers established the statewide school choice program in 2025 with $1 billion in funding.
“We passed the largest day one school choice program in the history of the United States of America,” Abbott said.
Abbott criticizes Hinojosa
Abbott also attacked Hinojosa, who is challenging him in the November gubernatorial election, over her votes on school athletics, social transitions and parental protections.
He accused her of opposing restrictions on male participation in girls’ sports and supporting school involvement in children’s gender transitions without parental knowledge.
House journals show Hinojosa voted against HB 25 in October 2021. The law generally requires public school athletes to compete on teams corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates.
She also voted against SB 12 on May 25, 2025. The law prohibits school employees from assisting students with social transitions, including using different names or pronouns to affirm a gender inconsistent with their biological sex.
On February 20, 2026, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking Houston, Katy and Plano ISDs from enforcing several SB 12 provisions, including the restriction on assisting students with social transitions.
Hinojosa voted against HB 1106 on May 14, 2025. That law excludes a caregiver’s refusal to affirm a child’s perceived gender or expressed sexual orientation from the definitions of child abuse and neglect.
Hinojosa has criticized Abbott’s voucher program, arguing that it diverts money from neighborhood public schools.
“We cannot go back. We must go forward and maintain parents’ rights in the state of Texas,” Abbott said.
Abbott calls for less classroom screen time
The governor also outlined an education priority for the next legislative session: reducing students’ reliance on classroom tablets and other screens.
Abbott praised Texas’ 2025 school cellphone restrictions, saying the policy improved student interaction and reduced bullying.
“This next session, we’re going to take that another level,” Abbott said.
“We are going to be eliminating and reducing screen time in classrooms,” he said.
The existing cellphone law, House Bill 1481, requires public schools to prohibit students’ use of personal communication devices during the school day, with specified exceptions. It expressly excludes school-provided devices.
The Dallas Express previously reported on the cellphone restrictions and other new school policies.
Abbott did not specify how his proposed classroom restrictions would affect instructional materials, devices or different grade levels.
Abbott promotes campaign outreach app
Abbott concluded by encouraging attendees to download Abbott Impact, a campaign application for identifying contacts who have not voted and sending them reminders.
“Then you’re going to press another button and it will immediately connect all of your contacts with the Texas voter database,” Abbott said.
The campaign website says the app matches contacts to the Texas voter file and provides participation updates during early voting. Its privacy policy says it collects contact phone numbers for that matching.
Abbott argued that personal outreach from friends and family could encourage more participation than conventional campaign messages.
