Ridgefield schools will honor Veterans Day with a day off for the next three years, the school board decided Monday evening.

After an emotional appeal from members of the veteran community a few weeks ago, the Board of Education voted on Monday to give students the day off on Veterans Day for the next three years despite an earlier decision to have school on that day.

The extra day will be placed at the beginning of the year.

"We're very pleased," said George Besse, Commander of the American Legion in Ridgefield. "We're glad the board understood our concerns and gave us due respect."

At a board meeting several weeks ago, members of the board spoke about the benefits of holding class on Veterans Day.

Board of Education members Irene Burgess and Amy Shinohara opposed the motion for the day off. They mentioned at an earlier meeting that they felt students would learn more about Veterans Day by attending school than having the day off.

The day will be added to the beginning of the school year, Superintendent Deborah Low said.

"We thank the board for reconsidering their decision to reopen schools on Veterans Day," said Gene Waradzin of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3052. "It was a wise decision."

"We'd like to urge the board and the schools to continue the fine programs they have leading up to the holiday," Waradzin said, "which were the outgrowth of a similar misunderstanding some ten or twelve years ago and that allow the veterans to connect to the students and the students to connect with history in a way they can't do through textbooks."