Just days before New York City’s schools were set to reopen, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he would be delaying students’ in-person start date once again — not because parents were hesitant to return, or because health officials deemed it unsafe, but because de Blasio was unprepared and ill-equipped to do his job.

De Blasio, like every other government official, has known since the beginning of the coronavirus shutdown that reopening safely and efficiently would be a challenge, especially in a city of New York’s size. But instead of crafting a realistic plan that would accommodate both teachers’ and students’ needs, de Blasio has spent the past few months kicking the can down the road. In May, he dismissed questions about school reopening altogether, saying it was too soon to start even thinking about it. And in August, he refused to listen to criticism of the city’s back-to-school plan, insisting that it was as detailed and extensive as it needed to be.