An 18-year-old student in the classroom at Spring Valley High School videotaped the incident between Richland County Deputy Ben Fields and the 16-year-old girl.
The teens, who are black, were charged with a misdemeanor offense of "disturbing schools." Deputy Fields, who is white, was not charged in the violent assault.
On Thursday, the group presented petitions claiming that hundreds of thousands of names from around the country asked Solicitor Dan Johnson to drop the charges against the teens, the Associated Press reported.
Activists point out that it is unfair and unacceptable that the student was the only person charged.
"If any one of us would have done a youngster or even an adult like that, we would be in jail that day," pastor and activist Thomas Dixon said, according to the AP.
Solicitor Johnson issued a statement Wednesday saying he will not do anything with the case until the FBI finishes its investigation into Fields, who was fired after the video became public.
"I do not simply decide cases based upon feelings, public opinion or sentiment, nor do I decide them based on political pressure," Johnson stated.
Disturbing schools is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail.
Fields was called to the classroom after the student refused to stop using her cellphone, and then she would not leave the classroom after being requested to do so by a teacher and an administrator.
Organizers of the protest said they plan to be at South Carolina's state house next year, calling for legislators to change a law allowing police officers to arrest students for misbehaving at schools. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott blamed that law for escalating the incident.
"Let's find a way where we don't saddle students with arrest records," said Efia Nwangaza from the Malcom X Center for Self Determination. "Let's get ahead of the schoolhouse-to-jailhouse train in South Carolina."
