A study  of the  ”Ethics of American Youth”  found that half of all high schoold students say they have bullied someone in the past year. Nearly as many say they have been bullied.

This study surveyed more than 40,000 high school students and has been conducted every other year since 1992.  The study by the non-profit Josephson Institute of Ethics, also found that one-third of all high school students say that violence is a big problem at their school –  one in four say they do not feel safe.

The study also cited weapons and alcohol as part of the mix, with 10% saying they took a weapon to school at least once in the past year and 16% admitting to be intoxicated at school.

“The combination of bullying, a penchant toward violence when one is angry, the availability of weapons, and the possibility of intoxication at school increases significantly the likelihood of retaliatory violence,” said Michael Josephson, founder and president of the Institute.