A truant is a school-aged young person who fails to attend school. This may happen for a day, for a week, or for a month or more. As school attendance is compulsory in the United States, young people who deliberately fail to attend are in violation of the truancy laws. Truant officers can arrest these young people, and either take them to school or to wherever their parents may be. Parents can be held criminally liable for their children’s school attendance. In the UK, any police officer who has reason to believe that a young person is deliberately staying out of his or her classes can escort the child to school. It is a criminal offence when UK parents do not make sure their child goes to school. Parents can be fined in Germany if their children are not in school, and in Denmark, welfare benefits can be taken from a family whose children skip school.