> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zionapp.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Booking and requesting meetings

> How parents book an open slot or request a meeting, and how staff respond, counter-propose, or hard-book directly

A meeting between a parent and their child's supervisor or monitor can start two ways: the parent claims an open slot right away, or one side proposes times and the other side accepts, declines, or counters. Staff can also start a meeting directly with a parent, either as a request or as an instant booking.

<Note>
  Parents can only book or request meetings with supervisors and monitors assigned to their child's learning centre. Administrators are not bookable by parents.
</Note>

## Parent books an open slot

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the booking wizard">
    Go to `/parent/meetings` and click **Book a meeting**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a child">
    Choose which linked child the meeting is about.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a staff member">
    Only supervisors and monitors assigned to that child's learning centre appear as bookable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a date, then a time">
    Available dates show first, then the open time slots on that date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The slot is claimed atomically, so two parents can never book the same slot. A slot that has already passed or was just taken is rejected. Both the parent and the staff member get a calendar event and a notification.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## When no slots are open

If the staff member has no open slots, the parent has two options from the same booking wizard.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Request a meeting">
    The parent proposes up to 5 candidate times, with an optional agenda. This creates a pending request awaiting the staff member's response. The staff member is notified and can accept one of the proposed times, decline with a reason, or counter with a different time.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Watch for new availability">
    The parent subscribes to be notified when that staff member publishes a new slot for that child. The next time the staff member publishes availability, the watch is fulfilled and the parent is notified so they can book.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Staff-initiated meetings

Supervisors, monitors, and administrators can start a meeting with a parent directly, without waiting for the parent to book.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the new meeting form">
    Go to `/staff/meetings` and click **Request a meeting**, then continue on `/staff/meetings/new`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a student">
    Administrators can pick any student in the org. Supervisors and monitors are limited to students in their assigned centres.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a staff member">
    This can be the initiating staff member or a colleague who is bookable for that student.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose request or hard-book">
    Propose candidate times and wait for the parent to respond, or claim an open slot immediately with no parent confirmation needed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  A hard-booked meeting is confirmed the moment it's created. Calendar events and notifications go out right away to both the staff member and the parent.
</Note>

## Responding to a pending request

A pending request is always waiting on one specific party. Only that party can respond.

| Action          | Effect                                                       |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Accept          | Confirms the proposed time; the meeting becomes booked       |
| Decline         | Cancels the request; a reason is required                    |
| Counter-propose | Suggests a different time; the turn flips to the other party |

If a parent counters a staff-initiated request, the staff member must respond next. If staff counters a parent-initiated request, the parent must confirm the countered time from `/parent/meetings`.

## Auto-expiry

A pending request does not stay open forever. A daily job checks every pending request, and once every proposed time has passed with no response, the request is marked expired. The original initiator is notified, and can start over: a parent can book again, and staff can re-propose.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Meetings overview" icon="calendar-check" href="/features/meetings/overview">
    How meetings and requests fit together, plus the full status list.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Publishing availability" icon="clock" href="/features/meetings/availability">
    How staff and administrators create the slots parents book against.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Managing and documenting meetings" icon="calendar-xmark" href="/features/meetings/managing-and-documenting">
    Cancelling, rescheduling, reassigning, notes, and marking a meeting completed or no-show.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Meetings and communication for parents" icon="user-clock" href="/guides/parent/meetings-and-communication">
    The parent-facing walkthrough for booking, requesting, and following up on a meeting.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>